ORF-E
Spanish, English
1 episode x 52 mins
Available worldwide except for Germany

Even today, paralysed people can move robotic arms and speak to other people just by thinking, thanks to brain-computer interfaces. Yet tech pioneers such as Elon Musk are calling for us all to use this technology and become part of the digital world.
Researchers in the US and Germany are currently working to decipher the complex codes of our brain. Their efforts are driven by an age-old dream: to be able to read minds. A dream that is now within reach – thanks to AI and tiny chips that are implanted in the brain.

For people such as Casey Harell, an ALS patient in the USA, this development is already making a huge difference to his quality of life: with the help of a brain-computer interface, he is once again able to communicate with his family. James Johnson, an American with a spinal cord injury, can drive a car from around 1,000 kilometres using only his thoughts. And Michi Mehringer from Upper Bavaria is practising controlling a robotic arm mentally – with a very specific goal in mind: he wants to be able to drink independently again.

These astonishing advances are also attracting the interest of major tech conglomerates. Companies such as Elon Musk’s firm Neuralink are investing enormous sums in the research and development of brain-computer interfaces. But simply helping people with illnesses – that is not their aim, says AI ethicist Marcello Ienca from the Technical University of Munich. He warns of a new dimension to data collection. For whilst tech giants are already analysing vast amounts of personal data, information about our brain activity could be added to this in future. What if companies not only knew what we search for, buy and click on – but also what is happening in our brains? And who would have access to this data?

How far has the technology advanced, and who will it help? How might it change our everyday lives in the future, and what risks will it entail?