May 25, 2025 — by Shiva Gupta, STEMinate, sgworks004@gmail.com
Edited by the YNPS Publications Team.
Abstract
Neural interfaces that enable thought-to-text communication represent a significant technological advancement with far-reaching implications. These interfaces offer immense potential, especially for individuals with speech or motor impairments, by translating brain activity directly into written language. This paper examines the scientific foundations of these
technologies, their current applications, and their future prospects. It also addresses pressing ethical, legal, and societal concerns, including mental privacy, informed consent, data ownership, surveillance, algorithmic bias, and the risk of deepening social inequality. As neural data becomes increasingly accessible and potentially monetizable, questions arise about how to protect individual autonomy and prevent misuse. This paper draws attention to the need for proactive governance and ethical design principles that prioritize user control and transparency. Through a multidisciplinary lens, the study emphasizes the importance of establishing regulatory frameworks and public dialogue to ensure that thought-to-text technologies are developed and deployed in a manner that respects human dignity, equity, and freedom of thought.
Introduction
With over 86 billion neurons and trillions of connections, the human brain is a complex organ characterized by its remarkable capacity for processing, learning, and adapting. This has led to significant interest in brain‐machine interfaces (BMIs) and brain‐computer interfaces (BCIs),
which are transforming how we interact with our surroundings and communicate. By interpreting brain activity, these technologies enable intuitive and natural manipulation of external devices. Neural interfaces emerging at the intersection of neurotechnology and urban planning promise to transform how we interact with our surroundings and communicate. By recording and decoding neural signals, these interfaces facilitate direct connections between the brain and external devices, enabling seamless information exchange and shared experiences.
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One of the most exciting developments in this field is our research project, a “Thought-to-Text (T2T)” system, designed specifically for physically disabled persons. This system leverages brain signals to control a virtual keyboard, offering an alternative communication method that is both innovative and life-changing. The T2T system allows users to communicate via brain-typing, where electroencephalography (EEG) signals are used to move a cursor and select letters on a virtual keyboard. This kind of direct brain-computer interface (BCI) technology opens up new possibilities, giving individuals greater autonomy over their communication.
Types of Neural Interfaces:
Invasive Neural Interface
By directly interfacing with the brain, these devices offer profound implications for medical therapies and augmentative technologies. Invasive BCIs are primarily aimed at restoring lost functions such as mobility, speech, and even cognitive faculties in patients with disabilities resulting from conditions like stroke, spinal cord injuries, and neurodegenerative diseases.
Semi-invasive Neural Interface
Semi-invasive Neural Interfaces involve placing electrodes on the brain’s surface, just under the skull. They provide detailed brain activity monitoring with less risk than fully invasive methods. They are used in research and medical applications, such as controlling prosthetics.
Invasive Neural Interface
They minimally impact the user without safety concerns, are easy to use in everyday life, and facilitate long-term performance tracking. Nevertheless, current non-invasive BCIs exhibit limited performance due to the limited signal-to-noise ratio and information transfer rate that occurs when neural signals transmit from brain tissues, through the skull, and to the scalp.
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Advancements in neural interfaces
In a recent breakthrough, a person with paralysis in all four limbs was able to move a virtual quadcopter with extreme precision by thinking about moving it with their fingers. These kinds of movements are possible due to the recent advancements introduced in the brain-computer interface. This primarily includes – electroencephalography (EEG) sensor, as it is an electronic device that can measure electrical signals of the brain. EEG sensors typically measure the varying electrical signals created by the activity of large groups of neurons near the surface of the brain over a period of time. This advancement significantly enhances our ability to monitor and analyze brain activity, which not only aids in a deeper understanding of brain functions and their abnormal states but also lays the foundation for the development of BCI technology.
Brain-computer interface articles in the peer-reviewed scientific literature.
Over the past 15 years, BCI research, which was previously confined to a few laboratories, has become an extremely active and rapidly growing scientific field. Most articles have appeared in the last 5 years.
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Advancements in Thought-to-Text Technology
| Advancement | Positive | Negative |
| The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) team has managed to perform thought-to-text conversion using a non-invasive headset with dry electrodes that sit over the wearer’s hair. | It benefits users by enabling non-invasive, low-maintenance neural interfacing, enhancing accessibility without compromising safety or comfort. | The arrangement typically produces the noisiest signals, making it more difficult for AI systems, such as BrainGPT, to read someone’s mind. |
| Meta Achieves 80% Accuracy in Decoding Thoughts to Text Using Non-Invasive Brain-Computer Interfaces with 35 Volunteers and Brain2Qwerty | Demonstrates that MEG-based Brain2Qwerty achieves a substantially lower character error rate (CER) of 32% compared to EEG (67%), highlighting the superior signal quality of MEG for this task. | Limitations regarding real-time operation, the need for supervised training with healthy participants, and the use of non-wearable MEG Systems outline future research directions for clinical translation. |
| Hainan University unveiled its implantable (BCI) technology at the fifth China International Consumer Products Expo in Haikou. | Multiple core chips for invasive BCI systems, with models capable of full-link coverage in signal acquisition, modulation, and transmission. | BCI chips have the risk of glial scarring over time, which can degrade signal quality and reduce the device’s long-term effectiveness. |
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A quick comparison of the positives and negatives shows that recent BCI advancements are far more beneficial than limiting. The advantages, such as non-invasive interfacing, higher accuracy in decoding thoughts, and improved signal transmission, clearly outweigh the drawbacks. While issues like noisy signals, limited real-time use, and risks of scarring exist, these can be minimized with further research and development. With continued innovation, these technologies have the potential to revolutionize how we communicate and interact with machines.
Coherence of Neural Interfaces with the Human Body
Neural Interfaces such as Utah arrays, Neuralink N1, and Stentode have a strong impact on the neural networks inside our body, interfering with neural pathways and the transmission of action potentials. While BCIs are becoming highly popular, we should be mindful of their coherence with the human body. Below is the detailed description of various interfaces and their methodology.
Utah arrays consist of a different number of needles with electrodes. Each electrode is connected to a connecting piece by a thin wire; the connecting piece is usually screwed tightly to the skull using screws. It possesses contacts in the upper area so that a head stage can process the voltages recorded by the electrode’s additional wires and electrodes, such as reference electrodes, are omitted for the sake of simplicity. The needles are inserted into the cerebral cortex, which is the outer layer of neural tissue of the cerebrum. Nerve cells communicate via electrical impulses; one electrode usually covers an area of several neurons. The voltages and action potentials are recorded by the electrodes, often used for further processing.
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Today, head stages can process data for over 100 electrodes in real time and send them wirelessly to another processing unit. This means that a person with paraplegia only has to think about moving a finger, which will create patterns that can then be converted into movements of a robot arm.
While Utah arrays only have electrodes on the tips, the Neuralink N1 has many electrodes attached to an ultra-thin thread. Such a thread is thinner than human hair. The housing is made of biocompatible material. Underneath is a battery that can be charged wirelessly at night. The computing unit processes the info received from the electrodes and transmits it wirelessly to a smartphone or other devices. The sixty-four elastic threads, which have a total of 1024 electrodes, are inserted into the brain by a robot with micrometer precision. Once this process is complete, the N1 is fixed in the skull in such a way that it’s no longer visible. With the help of the N1, it is possible to navigate a mouse pointer on a screen or control a smartphone, but soon it should be possible to let people walk again. For people with paraplegia, such chips could help in bridging the nerve fibers destroyed in an accident. This could allow the brain’s action potential to reach the muscles. Prosthesis will have motors and sensors that communicate with areas of the brain via chips.
Another method is used by the company Synchron. A stentrode is inserted through a vein in the neck using a catheter. This Stentrode possesses electrodes and is placed next to the motor cortex. The electrodes of the stentrode then transmit the voltages arriving in the blood vessel to a chip in the chest using a cable. This chip can then transmit the data wirelessly to external devices. Synchron is also experimenting with exoskeletons.
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The motors of the exoskeleton can be controlled by thought. In the future, people with paralyzed legs could walk again, and people with prostheses will have incredible abilities and strength.
Analysis of Ethical Issues
User Safety: The issue of user safety refers to the potential health risks to the user of both invasive and non-invasive BCIs. The user’s health may be negatively affected both immediately and in the long term by the use of the device. Furthermore, according to the results of a survey of neurosurgeon groups in 32 countries around the world, participants appear highly skeptical and conflicted about safety issues.
Humanity and Personhood: The integration of BCIs into the human body can complicate our concepts of social identity and our view of our bodies, and affect how people view each other.
A survey on public perceptions of BCIs in Germany recorded, among other things, participants’ concerns about personality changes.
Autonomy: The issue of autonomy is primary as it is linked to other ethical dilemmas, such as the determination of moral and legal responsibility. Although BCIs can restore autonomy or part of it to users with mobility or communication impairments, concerns remain as to whether the actions achieved through BCIs are the result of actual autonomous action.
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Privacy and Security: The use of BCIs raises important issues regarding the privacy and security of their users. In the scientific literature, there are several papers, with an increasing trend over the last years, showing that brain data could be extracted through malicious external action, or there could be a case of unauthorized access to the functions of BCIs with further impact on the issues of autonomous action and liability.
Research Ethics and Informed Consent: Ethical concerns also arise regarding the timing of the completion of clinical trials. The timing of termination of BCI studies may not be clear, as participants may not want to stop, and researchers may want to continue to collect brain data and adjust algorithms accordingly.
Future Potential of Neural Interfaces
With the rapid progress in AI systems capable of multitasking and adapting to dynamic environments, neural interfaces are evolving in parallel. Modern neurotechnology is steadily transitioning from niche medical applications to more generalized, everyday use. Emerging interfaces now aim to enhance a wide range of human capabilities, from controlling smart devices and home appliances with thought alone to tracking mental states such as attention or stress to optimize productivity and well-being.
As neural interfaces inch closer to mainstream adoption, they face new demands shaped by user expectations: sleek design, affordability, non-invasiveness, ease of setup, long-term safety, and ethical transparency.
Despite these hurdles, strong momentum from both industry leaders (such as Neuralink, Synchron, and NextMind) and academic research institutions is accelerating progress. Based on the pace of innovation in 2025, we can expect early-stage, functional prototypes of everyday neural interfaces to emerge well before 2030, potentially reaching limited consumer markets in the late 2020s.
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Conclusion
The thought-to-text neural interface marks a transformative step in human-technology interaction, offering immense benefits in communication, accessibility, and cognitive support. Yet, the very ability to decode brain signals into language introduces unprecedented ethical challenges. These include the potential erosion of mental privacy, uncertainty over who owns neural data, and the difficulty of obtaining meaningful consent in such complex systems.
As these technologies evolve beyond clinical use into commercial and everyday contexts, the risks of commodification, misuse, and social inequality grow. Not everyone will have equal access to enhancement technologies, and those who do may gain cognitive or communicative advantages, widening existing divides.
To ethically navigate this frontier, strong legal frameworks and interdisciplinary collaboration are essential. Developers must integrate ethical safeguards into system design, prioritizing user autonomy, transparency, and accountability. Policy must also evolve, not reactively but proactively, to uphold mental integrity and freedom of thought in the age of brain-machine integration.
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Citations
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J. R. Schmid , O. Friedrich , S. Kessner , R. J. Jox. Thoughts Unlocked by Technology—a Survey in Germany
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Youth Neuropsychology Society 
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