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Skip to content zorger.com Augmenting Human Consciousness with Artificial Intelligence Visual Processing Part 1 (Note this is part 1 of a 2 part series of posts on Visual Processing) To explore the possibility of a Visual BCI (VBCI) we need to discuss how the human visual processing system works. In early embryotic stages, what will become the retina is indistinguishable from other parts of the proto brain. During retrogenisis a protrusion develops out of the neural tissue that eventually separates and becomes the eye. [i] The rods, cones and ganglion cells of the retina are neurons. As light stimulates rod and cone cells they send signals to their ganglion cells, which in turn transmit to the optic nerve and on to the main corpus of the brain. The optic nerve delivers the signals to the visual cortex, which is divided into many cortical areas each specialized in processing particular types of visual information. It is important to note that the human brain dedicates a very large amount of real estate to visual processing. Nearly one third of the surface of the cortex is used exclusively for vision. About two thirds of the volume of the entire brain are in some way used by the visual processing system. [ii] Some neurons are multimodal and made use of by other functional specialized networks within the brain. Through these there is a pathway from visual input to areas of the brain that are not directly involved in vision. Just like in the Dynamic Core and the other processes that contribute to it, the visual processing system has reentrant interconnections between individual visual cortices that feed forward into each other, slightly modifying the functionality of each other with every cycle. The state of your perception directly affects what you perceive. When one discerns an optical illusion that can be interpreted in two different ways, once one way is perceived it becomes more likely to continue to be perceived. [i] Ikuo K. Suzuki1 and Pierre Vanderhaeghen, Is this a brain which I see before me? Modeling human neural development with pluripotent stem cells (The Company of Biologists Ltd, Development 142, doi:10.1242/dev.120568, 2015) 3145. [ii] Valentin Dragoi, Visual Processing: Cortical Pathways (Neuroscience Online) http://neuroscience.uth.tmc.edu/s2/chapter15.html. Posted by admin May 9, 2020 Posted in Uncategorized Tags: Visual Processing Leave a comment on Visual Processing Part 1 Brain Computer Interfaces Part 2 (Note this is part 2 of a 2 part series of posts on BCIs) The alternative method is the non-invasive BCI. Typically this is a tight fitting cap enhanced with a multitude of sensors. Donning a cap is preferable to surgery in terms of risks and upgradability, however it is also burdened with disadvantages. A non-invasive BCI can only detect neural activity near the surface of the cortex close to the skull. Signals in deeper areas are more difficult to distinguish. This is also a one-way communication. Signals come out of the brain to the computer but the computer is not able to send anything back. The greater issue with both types of BCI is the narrow bandwidth they provide. Either type of BCI has a maximum bandwidth of less than 0.5 bits per second. Compared other forms of computer input this is relatively slow. For example using a mouse or joystick the rate is around 11 bit/s and auditorily received spoken English is approximately 38 bit/s. Reading is notable in that it has a relatively high maximum rate of around 42 bit/s. [i] The fact that reading has such a relatively high bit rate should not be surprising considering the human visual processing system has a bandwidth astronomically larger than any of these channels. The retina can process more than 10 10 bit/s. [ii] After the initial retinal processing the optic nerve is capable of carrying around 3 x 10 6 bit/s. Since the visual processing system is able to handle one million times more information than current BCI technology it seems an intriguing potential alternative path into the mind. [i] Kacprzyk, Janusz, and Witold Pedrycz. Springer Handbook of Computational Intelligence (Dordrecht: Springer, 2015), 760. [ii] Anderson, Charles H. Van Essen, David C. and Olshausen, Bruno A., “Directed visual attention and the dynamic control of information flow,” Neurobiology of Attention , eds. Laurent Itti, Geraint Rees & John K. Tsotsos (Burlington, MA: Elsevier, 2005) 12. Posted by admin June 7, 2019 May 30, 2019 Posted in Uncategorized Tags: BCI , Brain Computer Interfaces Leave a comment on Brain Computer Interfaces Part 2 Brain Computer Interfaces Part 1 (Note this is part 1 of a 2 part series of posts on BCIs) Our relationship with AI is shaped by the manner and limitation of how we interact with it. Currently this typically through a verbal interaction such as a user might have with Siri on their iPhone. But if we are to augment our consciousness with AI this mode is inadequate. A BCI is a direct communication path between the brain and an electronic device. The promise of BCI technology is that will become faster, and more intuitive then keyboards or vocal interaction. This would allow AI to be a fluid extension of ourselves. BCI technology exits today but it does not yet have this capability. The two basic categories of BCI are invasive and non-invasive. Implantation of an invasive BCI is surgical procedure where electrodes are placed through the skull into the brain. This type of procedure is sometimes performed as treatment for neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s or epilepsy. However the implanted electrode used for these surgeries is simpler in that it just stimulates the brain rather than facilitating the transfer of information. Science fiction films like The Matrix depict invasive BCIs as an advanced method to connect to a computer, however there are unambiguous disadvantages to invasive BCIs. Complications can arise from brain surgery such as infection and hemorrhaging. Also typical computer hardware is updated every three to four years. Having frequent brain surgery to update your hardware is impractical and imprudent. Furthermore a 2016 Pew Research Center survey found that 69% of Americans are opposed to any type of “brain chip implant.” [i] Widespread use of invasive BCIs have many hurdles to overcome. They do have one great advantage. An invasive BCI has the is capable of two-way communication. Signals can be both delivered to deep inside the brain and sent from the brain to the outside world. [i] Cary Funk, Brian Kennedy and Elizabeth Podrebarac Sciupac, U.S. Public Wary of Biomedical Technologies to ‘Enhance’ Human Abilities (July 26, 2016) http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/07/26/u-s-public-wary-of-biomedical-technologies-to-enhance-human-abilities/. Posted by admin June 1, 2019 May 30, 2019 Posted in Uncategorized Tags: BCI , Brain Computer Interfaces Leave a comment on Brain Computer Interfaces Part 1 Human Consciousness, Part 3 (Note: This part 2 of a 3 part series of posts on Human Consciousness) By continuously running multiple neural groups in parallel the brain is capable of processing thoughts and perceptions incredibly quickly. However not every reentrant process can or should continuously contribute to consciousness and the Dynamic Core. For example we need to notice when an object enters our visual field, but it would be a debilitating distraction if we needed to be consciously continuously observing every visual detail. Some parts of the brain are continuously monitoring these inputs from our senses but by necessity there is a process, which selectively limits them from our awareness. A synaptic threshold throttles the access of these additional reentrant processes to our conscious attention. If a process’s level of activation breaches this threshold it begins to contribute to consciousness. Figure 2. Subconscious processes operating in parallel outside the Dynamic Core. This is necessary because the there is limit to the resource of att...