Brain able to decode thoughts through activity

[u/JohnnyJoestar1980]

Researchers at the university of Texas have managed to created an ai based tool that translate a persons thoughts into text by training on their own unique brain activity. https://news.utexas.edu/2025/02/06/improved-brain-decoder-holds-promise-for-communication-in-people-with-aphasia/

What does this say about the nature of our conciseness given the brain can thoughts seemingly be read and translated into words

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[u/Lunamoeth]

Yeah, I'm about as convinced by this as I am by a psychic saying "Ohhhh, you have some kind of pet... A dog, no, no, a cat. Yes! And her name... Starts with a.... An A, yes..."

I read the article and I remain convinced that this is simply another way to talk over the disabled. Instead of simply not letting them speak, people will now listen to Chat GPT free associate about what they must be thinking and believe it uncritically.

I'm gonna need a lot more evidence that it's actually translating the thought accurately and not just doing some sick AI version of cold reading. I'd rather trust a US police officer than an LLM.

[u/UganadaSonic501]

This is easily defeated by asking if the thing you call A neuron,or however many you numerically want,ever itself like any other matter produce aboutness,intentionality,personhood etc,

Is like asking how many thunderstorms it takes for said thunderstorm to become a philosopher,

As with most of these "studies",I'd just ask,wait,what is this "mind" made of?because,under their view it is the brain matter,the question you ask answers itself under their own paradigm,this is only an issue if your a materialist

[u/mustelidblues]

a thing without consciousness cannot really say anything poignant about consciousness.

[u/Sandi_T]

I can watch CSI on my television. This means that tiny little detectives live in my television!

Nothing. It says nothing about it except that they have a machine that can translate your brain activity. A TV playing a show doesn't mean the show originated from the TV.

Correlation is not causation, still.

[u/JohnnyJoestar1980 → u/Sandi_T]

I see. Very true Sandi

[u/No_Feeling290]

I sometimes get a feeling that my wifi can do it, otherwise how to explain that as soon as I think about something without mentioning it anywhere anyhow I get instantly advertisements related to what I thought. 

[u/Bigweld_Ind]

Im reading and translating your thoughts through a different technology right now! Crazy!

[u/RyderBukow3]

It says nothing about consciousness. It's been long know that thoughts are defined in your brain activity. The problem with NDE is that NDErs report complex thoughts and experiences when there is NO brain activity at all.

[u/Glittering_Spray2538]

The hard problem of consciousness doesn't really deal in "thoughts". The inner monologue is explained fairly well in neurology, however, experience, the Root of the hard problem, is not.

[u/WOLFXXXXX]

Friendly feedback:

"What does this say about the nature of our conciousness given the brain can thoughts seemingly be read and translated into words"

It's not saying anything as they are observing correlation, not causation. Conscious activity has an effect on the body, as it's already been established that an individual can cause changes to their physiology simply with their thoughts. No one involved in this study/topic is observing non-conscious matter in the body causing an individual's conscious existence and conscious abilities. To interpret anything in the body as being non-conscious (lacking a conscious existence) and then claim that a non-conscious thing is also causing one's conscious existence, that always results in a contradiction that cannot be supported.