CHINA BUILDS A BRAIN-COMPUTER INTERFACE INDUSTRY

Photo-Illustration: WIRED Staff; Getty Images

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) as commercial devices that replace our smartphones is the premise of my science fiction thriller novel Augment Nation. I set the novel 20 years from now, and it looks as if that development is on track. Wired magazine reports that China is now building a major industry around BCIs, not only to help people with brain and spinal cord injuries, but also as a commercial product. According to Wired: “China’s policy document, meanwhile, is promoting the mass production of non-implantable devices in various forms—forehead-mounted, head-mounted, ear-mounted, ear buds, and helmets, glasses, and headphones.”

Sure, there’s a huge potential for great things, but also great risk of abuse. Augment Nation explores both.