Brain-computer interfaces now decode preconscious thoughts hundreds of milliseconds before conscious action, raising privacy and autonomy concerns as AI enhances neural decoding in 90 implant users and consumer devices.

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

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.The rise of brain-reading technology: what you need to knowBut there was a twist. ...