University of Columbia Researchers Translate Brain Signals Directly Into Speech (columbia.edu) 84
dryriver writes: There is good news for people who have limited or no ability to speak, due to having suffered a stroke for example. Researchers at Columbia University have managed to turn brain signals in the auditory cortex of test subjects into somewhat intelligible speech using a vocoder-like system with audio output cleaned up by neural networks. The findings have been published in the journal Nature. Here's an excerpt from the Zuckerman Institute's press release, which contains example audio of a number sequence being turned into robotic speech: "In a scientific first, Columbia neuroengineers have created a system that translates thought into intelligible, recognizable speech. By monitoring someone's brain activity, the technology can reconstruct the words a person hears with unprecedented clarity. This breakthrough, which harnesses the power of speech synthesizers and artificial intelligence, could lead to new ways for computers to communicate directly with the brain. It also lays the groundwork for helping people who cannot speak, such as those living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or recovering from stroke, regain their ability to communicate with the outside world."
Re: Thoughts required. (Score:1)
The question everyone wants the answer to: if you use it on Trump, would it say "hambudgers" or "build my wall"?
Transcript (Score:2, Funny)
Captain Pike will be thrilled! (Score:4)
Re:Captain Pike will be thrilled! (Score:4, Informative)
Seriously though, this is amazing.
I agree. However, I'm afraid that the police, NSA, CIA, DHS and their pals will discover the usefulness of this neat new toy.
Well, at least they might stop water boarding people.
Before you enter the US, we'd like you to put on this funny hat, and ask you a few questions. Don't bother answering; the computer will speak your thoughts for you.
Re: (Score:1)
Seriously though, this is amazing.
I agree. However, I'm afraid that the police, NSA, CIA, DHS and their pals will discover the usefulness of this neat new toy.
Well, at least they might stop water boarding people.
Before you enter the US, we'd like you to put on this funny hat, and ask you a few questions. Don't bother answering; the computer will speak your thoughts for you.
Seriously though, this is amazing.
I agree. However, I'm afraid that the police, NSA, CIA, DHS and their pals will discover the usefulness of this neat new toy.
Well, at least they might stop water boarding people.
Before you enter the US, we'd like you to put on this funny hat, and ask you a few questions. Don't bother answering; the computer will speak your thoughts for you.
Look on the bright side, perhaps they'll be less scared of the left wing if they can finally confirm beyond any doubt that all that most of us are thinking about 99% of the time is boobies and weed, ... except the women, they are mostly thinking about shoes .... and weed.
Re: Captain Pike will be thrilled! (Score:1)
Or the computer's speech synthesis code sees "non-white" or "from bad country" or "fuck with them" flagged in their profile data and starts spitting out things like "alalalalalalalahhhbhhbh" or "death to America" bullshit regardless as to what the person is actually thinking.
After all the computer said it so it must be true......
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Look on the bright side, perhaps they'll be less scared of the left wing if they can finally confirm beyond any doubt that all that most of us are thinking about 99% of the time is boobies and weed, ... except the women, they are mostly thinking about shoes .... and weed.
I never think about weed...except when spraying roundup. It's all boobies for me.
It would be embarrassing though...
We would like to ask you a few questions, ignore this mind reading device...
Now, Mr. McWeany,
oh shit! they think my name is really McWeany, that's an alias, my real name is Dickbutt
OK, Mr.Dickbutt...
Why did my brain just say Dickbutt, that's not my name either... I'm so scatterbrained, I wonder if I left the oven on
Where were you on the evening of the 17th?
The female agent has nice lips, I wo
The ultimate invasion of privacy (Score:2)
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Except this would only be the things that you would be saying. There is a big gap between thinking something and forming the words and speaking them...
Even if it was just your thoughts, who's to say that the first thing that comes to mind is truth?
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I'm afraid that the police, NSA, CIA, DHS and their pals will discover the usefulness of this neat new toy
My worry too. I'm guessing that since the technology monitors the auditory cortex, it's not going to pickup on anything other than what you would consciously want to say - maybe a passing neuroscientist can weigh in.
"I'm hungry. Boobs! What should I order? Boobs!" (Score:5, Funny)
"Yes, I'd like to order a Big Mac BOOBS! Good Lord look at those boobs! Ummm, some fries and a My God those boobies are huge! Umm and diet coke. Damn, those of tig ass bitties!"
That's what every guy's brain is thinking.
Re: (Score:1)
It doesn't translate your subconscious thoughts, just the vocalized region of the brain.
Unless you're schizophrenic, then I guess this makes sense.
Re: (Score:3)
from TFA;
“In this scenario, if the wearer thinks ‘I need a glass of water,’ our system could take the brain signals generated by that thought, and turn them into synthesized, verbal speech,” said Dr. Mesgarani.
it clearly says it will vocalize what the brain is thinking. unless there is an easy way to turn that off/on i don't think anybody actually wants something like that.
Re: (Score:2)
it clearly says it will vocalize what the brain is thinking. unless there is an easy way to turn that off/on i don't think anybody actually wants something like that.
Yeah - I think Ima let that thing miss me.
If someone asks me a question that indicates they weren't paying attention, I do think "You stupid fuck!", while in practice going back to what I said and re-pointing it out.
I pick up concepts quickly. When others don't, I might think "y'all are a little slow", while in practice I sit politely.
If an attractive woman walks into the room, I think thoughts for a moment that every heterosexual male would. In practice, I say "Hello, how are you today?"
Look on
Re: "I'm hungry. Boobs! What should I order? Boobs (Score:4, Interesting)
It would be creepy as hell, but very cool, to get a recording of the voices schizophrenics hear.
Re: (Score:2)
It would be creepy as hell, but very cool, to get a recording of the voices schizophrenics hear.
Boy howdy would it. I have always been intrigued by Schizophrenic speech patterns. But to hear the voices in their heads alonng with them? Whoa!
Re: (Score:1)
You laugh but this already is happening with eye trackers. Seriously, look on youtube for "fail" videos wherein people are judged for looking at a cute girl (or guy) in some other place besides their head. Pewdiepie for example.
My mind is mine, no one elses.
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That's what every guy's brain is thinking.
I'm a DICK gay guy DICK, you insensitive DICK clod!
Re: (Score:2)
> OHHH, YOU'RE VERY TALL AREN'T YOU?
>> YES I AM VERY TALL. LOVELY WEATHER TODAY ISN'T IT?
etc etc.
Re: (Score:2)
They would have collected a lot more data besides tip amounts.
Push to talk? (Score:1)
I just hope the system has push to talk button...
Obligatory (Score:5, Funny)
Now they just have to figure out how Trump manages to generate speech while demonstrating no measurable brain activity.
Re: (Score:2)
The Tiny Voice In The Back Of Donald Trump's Head
For example, Trump's inner voice on Don't Lose The Queen [youtube.com]
Brain microphone, not brain speech synthetizer (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Brain microphone, not brain speech synthetizer (Score:4, Interesting)
Yes, this.
The only thing I would add is that we do know that higher-level cognitive processes re-activate sensorimotor parts of the brain; so thinking the number "nine" might cause some activation similar to hearing that number.
So, assuming they didn't indeed just pick up on some non-neural artifact, this shows that there is potential - at least in the ideal case where we know the signal is as good as it's ever going to get. It's one step in the direction of being able to deal with weaker, noisier versions you might get from reactivation.
But yeah, noone's going to read your thoughts anytime soon.
Re: (Score:3)
This is very, very far from being able to interpret actual thoughts - they attach themselves to very early stage of hearing process, where things are still looking very much like sound waves.
Yes. My first thought when I read the headline was: what language is the speech in?
But it seems that this work, while interesting in an academic sense, is far from what the headline indicates.
Re: (Score:2)
translating thought into speed
Apparently, the parent needed more thought and less speed in order to avoid that typo.
University of Columbia? (Score:2)
So these are scientists living in Bogota? Those Columbian researchers are pretty amazing. Must be all that coffee.
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Once they can read minds they can figure out who the narcs are.
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What if you have Tourettes syndrome
Fun fact: profanity comes from a different part of the brain from normal speech. That's why Tourettes can even exist. That part of the brain is, as much as we can reason between species, the part of the brain that other apes and monkeys use for warning vocalizations. Literally "oh shit it's a snake!"
Read my mind (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
"You shall now call me Snowball ..."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waLxMl6K3zA
Where are my testicles Summer?
That sounds like autoregression with extra steps (Score:1)
Here, clean speech was used as both the input and output of the system. The subjects listened to the speech, and the speech was the target, having being reconstructed with the brain activity. (This technique uses invasive electrocorticography; they happened to have some epileptics around to use as subjects)
The target was on the speech perception. Speech production would need to focus on another region of the brain (Maybe Broca's Area or straight to the motor cortex). The training data for speech production
ATHF did it! (Score:2)
shift (Score:1)
Be good for people in comas and the brain dead.
Re: (Score:2)
Thank you. I came here to post exactly that. "Columbia University" != "University of Columbia".
There must be a mistake (Score:3)
We hooked it up to Ariana Grande and it just keeps printing out "Need attention" over and over.
The Singularity is Here! (Score:2)
If you're able to turn thoughts into speech then you're able to record it. How soon until memories can be saved? Such as the Potterverse' Pensieve.
These advances are close to fantastical. And the world goes ho-hum.
Stop, Willy Wonka sighed, knowing nobody listens (Score:2)
Governments will argue this can be used to detect criminal evidence. We need laws to stop this cold because it will be abused in dictatorships.
Alas, just a bit too late for Stephen Hawking (Score:1)