A Computer Predicts Your Thoughts, Creating Images Based on Them

Summary: Combining EEG brain function data, brain-computer interface technology, and artificial intelligence, researchers have created a system that can generate an image of what a person is thinking.

Source: University of Helsinki

Researchers at the University of Helsinki have developed a technique in which a computer models visual perception by monitoring human brain signals. In a way, it is as if the computer tries to imagine what a human is thinking about. As a result of this imagining, the computer is able to produce entirely new information, such as fictional images that were never before seen.

The technique is based on a novel brain-computer interface. Previously, similar brain-computer interfaces have been able to perform one-way communication from brain to computer, such as spell individual letters or move a cursor.

As far as is known, the new study is the first where both the computer’s presentation of the information and brain signals were modelled simultaneously using artificial intelligence methods. Images that matched the visual characteristics that participants were focusing on were generated through interaction between human brain responses and a generative neural network.

The study was published in the Scientific Reports journal in September.

Neuroadaptive generative modelling

The researchers call this method neuroadaptive generative modelling. A total of 31 volunteers participated in a study that evaluated the effectiveness of the technique. Participants were shown hundreds of AI-generated images of diverse-looking people while their EEG was recorded.

The subjects were asked to concentrate on certain features, such as faces that looked old or were smiling. While looking at a rapidly presented series of face images, the EEGs of the subjects were fed to a neural network, which inferred whether any image was detected by the brain as matching what the subjects were looking for.

Based on this information, the neural network adapted its estimation as to what kind of faces people were thinking of. Finally, the images generated by the computer were evaluated by the participants and they nearly perfectly matched with the features the participants were thinking of. The accuracy of the experiment was 83 per cent.

“The technique combines natural human responses with the computer’s ability to create new information. In the experiment, the participants were only asked to look at the computer-generated images.

The computer, in turn, modelled the images displayed and the human reaction toward the images by using human brain responses. From this, the computer can create an entirely new image that matches the user’s intention,” says Tuukka Ruotsalo, Academy of Finland Research Fellow at the University of Helsinki, Finland and Associate Professor at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Unconscious attitudes may be exposed

Generating images of the human face is only one example of the technique’s potential uses. One practical benefit of the study may be that computers can augment human creativity.

This is a diagram from the study
The images generated by the computer were evaluated by the participants. They nearly perfectly matched with the features the participants were thinking of. Screencap from video. Image is credited to cognitive computing research group.

“If you want to draw or illustrate something but are unable to do so, the computer may help you to achieve your goal. It could just observe the focus of attention and predict what you would like to create,” Ruotsalo says. However, the researchers believe that the technique may be used to gain understanding of perception and the underlying processes in our mind.

“The technique does not recognise thoughts but rather responds to the associations we have with mental categories. Thus, while we are not able to find out the identity of a specific ‘old person’ a participant was thinking of, we may gain an understanding of what they associate with old age. We, therefore, believe it may provide a new way of gaining insight into social, cognitive and emotional processes,” says Senior Researcher Michiel Spapé.

According to Spapé, this is also interesting from a psychological perspective.

“One person’s idea of an elderly person may be very different from another’s. We are currently uncovering whether our technique might expose unconscious associations, for example by looking if the computer always renders old people as, say, smiling men.”

About this A.I research article

Source:
University of Helsinki
Contacts:
Aino Pekkarinen – University of Helsinki
Image Source:
The image is credited to cognitive computing research group.

Original Research: Open access
“Neuroadaptive modelling for generating images matching perceptual categories” by Lauri Kangassalo, Michiel Spapé & Tuukka Ruotsalo. Scientific Reports.


Abstract

Neuroadaptive modelling for generating images matching perceptual categories

Brain–computer interfaces enable active communication and execution of a pre-defined set of commands, such as typing a letter or moving a cursor. However, they have thus far not been able to infer more complex intentions or adapt more complex output based on brain signals. Here, we present neuroadaptive generative modelling, which uses a participant’s brain signals as feedback to adapt a boundless generative model and generate new information matching the participant’s intentions. We report an experiment validating the paradigm in generating images of human faces. In the experiment, participants were asked to specifically focus on perceptual categories, such as old or young people, while being presented with computer-generated, photorealistic faces with varying visual features. Their EEG signals associated with the images were then used as a feedback signal to update a model of the user’s intentions, from which new images were generated using a generative adversarial network. A double-blind follow-up with the participant evaluating the output shows that neuroadaptive modelling can be utilised to produce images matching the perceptual category features. The approach demonstrates brain-based creative augmentation between computers and humans for producing new information matching the human operator’s perceptual categories.

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  1. You… out of all people, are trying to question a research program that is attempting to help improve our society. The amount of good this could do for the world today is more than anything your overpriced ugly ass art could every fucking do. Keep your tongue in your mouth because you clearly have no right to be questioning this research. I would love to see how empty your brain is. Maybe you should be a test subject?

  2. I agree it is a double edged sword; one has to pray they are not of the Sanhedrin; and hope they are true healers. Time will tell, always does. exploring the realms of the human body and how it works is what mankind is designed for. As with any experiment and research it is important to know this. Hawkings was interfacing with a computer long time ago, though he was an atheist doesn’t mean GD wasn’t working through him.
    I am one who believes in a higher power and am learning to face my fears in this arena as I am simple minded living in spirit, I am guided to learn and conquer my ignorance and trust reverent people Atheist or believer is not mengalor hemler minded and all I can do is pray/ emit for everyone including myself to take the narrow road..

  3. This https://neurosciencenews.com/thought-image-ai-17058/ is DANGEROUS!

    What are they doing to insure it is made SAFE ? Destroying freedom of thought, spontaneity, and passive mental processes cannot possibly be a good idea.

    Just because I can jump off a cliff if I choose, does not mean I would EVER EVER choose to do so. But devices like the one in https://neurosciencenews.com/thought-image-ai-17058/ do not make such choices – they just do what they do.

    1. I agree it is a double edged sword; one has to pray they are not of the Sanhedrin; and hope they are true healers. Time will tell, always does. exploring the realms of the human body and how it works is what mankind is designed for. As with any experiment and research it is important to know this. Hawkings was interfacing with a computer long time ago, though he was an atheist doesn’t mean GD wasn’t working through him.
      I am one who believes in a higher power and am learning to face my fears in this arena as I am simple minded living in spirit, I am guided to learn and conquer my ignorance and trust reverent people Atheist or believer is not mengalor hemler minded and all I can do is pray/ emit for everyone including myself to take the narrow road..

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