#rp23 keynote speaker Surjo Soekadar: Neurotechnology and AI – what direction are we heading?

Surjo Soekadar (45) develops and researches innovative neurotechnologies to improve the quality of life of people with neurological and psychiatric diseases. Neurotechnologies are technical and computer-based tools that analyse brain signals or are able to specifically change brain activity.

With his research to date, Surjo has, for example, been able to enable paraplegics to eat and drink independently again for the first time with the help of a brain-controlled hand exoskeleton - a kind of support structure. People suffering from severe depression or obsessive-compulsive disorders can be treated by specifically influencing the brain with magnetic fields.

Especially in combination with artificial intelligence (AI) methods, these technologies can not only open up new treatment methods or improve quality of life, but also raise complex ethical questions. Surjo is therefore dealing intensively with these questions and wants to contribute to the broadest possible public discourse.

Surjo R. Soekadar is Professor of Clinical Neurotechnology at Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, funded by the Einstein Foundation Berlin. For his scientific work, which is also funded by the European Research Council (ERC), Surjo Soekadar has received numerous awards, including the International BCI Research Award and the BIOMAG and NARSAD Young Investigator Awards.

We look forward to exciting perspectives and discussions around neurotechnology and AI with Surjo Soekadar at #rp23.

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Let's talk about #CASH. An interview with Surjo
Soekadar.

What are you currently working on? What would you like to discuss at re:publica 23?

My team and I are currently working on a new generation of brain-computer interfaces that will allow direct interaction between brain and machine in both directions, completely contactless via magnetic fields. Currently, there is a lot of talk about implantable interfaces, e.g. the approaches of Neuralink or Synchron. Although implantation has the advantage that the interface is ready for use 24/7 and is invisible, the risks of bleeding and infections cannot be neglected. Moreover, it is unclear what happens if the manufacturer suddenly goes bankrupt. So the whole thing is really not suitable for the masses, but only for a few who have no other way to communicate or are completely paralysed - as in the case of locked-in syndrome, for example, i.e. total immobility and speechlessness with complete consciousness. 

In addition, we must assume that the permanent use of assistance systems or so-called augmentative technologies outside of medical applications can lead to negative effects. One example: due to the availability of GPS on our smartphones, for example, we are almost no longer able to orient ourselves without a mobile phone. So the shot can backfire. 

When we regularly used our non-invasive brain-computer interfaces for assistance, for example to control an exoskeleton in hand paralysis, we noticed something surprising: After one month, some of the patients were able to grasp things independently again. So I see the potential of this technology less in permanent assistance, but in the possibilities of triggering recovery processes in the brain.

Around which topic in your field is there currently too much hype or misunderstanding? 

Most people think the brain is a computer that functions according to the same principles as our laptop or smartphone. The truth is: we don't even know how information is represented in the brain. This, of course, makes reading out information very difficult. Currently, we have less of a problem reading signals out of the brain, but rather interpreting these signals in a meaningful way. Basically, I'm glad that neurotechnology is getting so much attention, but I see the danger that exaggerated expectations will be disappointed.

Do you have any current video or podcast recommendations on the topic of neurotechnology and AI?  

"How neurotechnology could endanger human rights" by Allan McCay at TEDxSydneySalon, "Are brain implants the future of computing?" by The Economist, and the "Neurotech Podcast" by Loup Ventures.