Researchers have found a way to use MRI scans and artificial intelligence to determine the flow of information in the brain. Instead of trying to copy every word, the system reconstructs the meaning of what a person hears or thinks, a team reported in the journal Nature Neuroscience.
“It’s about understanding the ideas behind words, semantics, and meaning,” said researcher Alexander Huth, an assistant professor of neuroscience and computer science at the University of Texas at Austin.
But this machine cannot read minds. It only works if participants collaborate with researchers.
Previous efforts to decipher messages have relied on sensors placed directly in the brain. The sensors detect signals in the speech-related area. However, Marcel Just, a psychology professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Who was not involve in the new study, said the Texas group’s approach was an attempt at “more rational decision making.”
“I think this generalization will one day solve this problem.” Podcast on MRI This new study is design to understand how the brain processes language. Participants played audio from a podcast while wearing headphones.
This flow of language causes activity throughout the brain, not just in speech and language-related areas.
After the participant listens to the story in the browser for a few hours. The MRI data is sent to the computer. They learn to match the brain activity pattern to the word flow
Next, the team asked the participants. Participants listened to the new stories in the browser, then the computer used ChatGPT to monitor each participant’s brain activity. tried to reproduce the stories. The results from the system are paraphrase versions of what the participants heard.
So if a participant hears the phrase “I don’t have a driver’s license,” the judgment would be “He hasn’t learned to drive yet,” Huth said. That said, in most cases, the resolution version contains bugs.
In other tests, the system can only interpret what the person wants to say. In the third experiment, participants watched a video in which a nonverbal story was told.
Word windowless MR method, Dr. The AC system by Edward Chang of the University of California, San Francisco is slower and less accurate.
“People place a piece of electrical sensor directly in the brain,” said David Moses, a researcher in Chang’s lab.
The sensor detects activity in the part of the brain that normally issues commands. At least one person used the system to generate 15 words per minute using only their imagination.
But with the MRI-based system, “nobody needs surgery,” said Moses. Do not use two methods to read someone’s mind without cooperation. However, future releases will raise ethical questions. “It’s exciting but also scary,” said Huth.
