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  • NEWS FEATURE

Mind-reading devices can now predict preconscious thoughts: is it time to worry?

Ethicists say AI-powered advances will threaten the privacy and autonomy of people who use neurotechnology.
By
  1. Liam Drew

    1. Liam Drew is a freelance writer based near London, UK.

Illustration of a mirror-like brain with circuitry overlaid with a reflection of a person's face and a hand touching the edge from within.

Illustration: Ollie Hirst

Before a car crash in 2008 left her paralysed from the neck down, Nancy Smith enjoyed playing the piano. Years later, Smith started making music again, thanks to an implant that recorded and analysed her brain activity. When she imagined playing an on-screen keyboard, her brain–computer interface (BCI) translated her thoughts into keystrokes — and simple melodies, such as ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’, rang out1.

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Nature 647, 575-577 (2025)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-03714-0

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