Mark Zuckerberg thinks telepathy is the technology of the future, and now Facebook is actively recruiting for a number of neuroscientist positions, which is leaving some wondering if Facebook is attempting to create a “mind-reading” social network.
RT is reporting that recruitment ads have popped up on Facebook for their hardware division in California, which specializes in brain computer interface technology. The Independent also reported that Facebook is currently working on a “brain-computer interface” which will allegedly allow social media users to communicate with each other by reading each other’s minds.
While this might sound like the realms of science fiction, in 2015 there was a Facebook Townhall Q&A with Mark Zuckerberg and Business Insider UK note that he is very interested in telepathy as the wave of the future, as evidenced by the comments he made during the question and answer session.
“One day, I believe we’ll be able to send full rich thoughts to each other directly using technology. You’ll just be able to think of something and your friends will immediately be able to experience it too if you’d like.”
Facebook is currently working to build a team that will be working on new and different social media platforms which will be utilizing neuroscience and electrical engineering. One of these positions that Facebook is currently advertising for is a “Brain-Computer Interface Engineer.” This position will be based in the Building 8 team.
The Building 8 team at Facebook is secretive and was started last year as a “DARPA-style” agency that will innovate through “augmented and virtual reality, artificial intelligence, connectivity and other important breakthrough areas.” One of the responsibilities of those who are involved with the Facebook Building 8 team will be the “application of machine learning methods, including encoding and decoding models, to neuroimaging and electrophysiological data.”
Could the Building 8 team at Facebook be part of a new mind-reading social media experience?
Global Domination: Facebook Developing Mind-Reading Device – Daily Squib- MENLO PARK – USA – The octopus grip of F https://t.co/FnBLkNQzps
— Daily Squib News (@DAILYSQUIB) January 13, 2017
The Telegraph describes how mind-reading is a science rather than a magic trick and is something which can actually be utilized. The Senior Lecturer in Electronics at the University of Central Lancashire, Stephen Sigurnjak, says, “Your brain works off electrical activity, a bit like a computer. As you concentrate on something, it fires neurons in the brain.” As knowledge of our brain continues to grow, we are increasingly able to decode mental electrical signals and then translate those thoughts into action.
As Mark Zuckerberg has already stated that he is interested in mind-reading technology, many are starting to look at other new job listings at Facebook and wondering if these, too, will be part of a new telepathy technology for Facebook.
Another Facebook ad is trying to actively recruit for a haptics specialist. This specialist would help the social media company to develop touch interactions in order to build “realistic and immersive” experiences with its users.
All of the job listings for Facebook’s new Building 8 team are listed as short-term two-year contracts, and the social media giant is also looking for people in these positions who are “slightly impatient.” At the moment, it is still not understood if these will be Facebook projects or something entirely different.
“B8 seeks an experienced Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) Engineer who will be responsible for working on a 2-year B8 project focused on developing advanced BCI technologies. We are looking for a slightly impatient individual willing to face down their fear of failure to accomplish bold things.”
What do you think of Facebook’s newest job listings? From the information we have been given from Facebook, do you think these new jobs could be linked to Mark Zuckerberg’s interest in mind-reading and telepathy for social networks?
[Featured Image by Paul Sakuma/AP Images]
