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Mind-to-Speech AI Translates Brain Waves Into Speech
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
Scientists have made a major breakthrough in restoring natural speech for people with paralysis, using AI-powered brain implants to turn brain waves into spoken words in real-time.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- The system deciphers brain waves and converts them into near-instant, natural-sounding speech.
- The system uses the patient’s pre-injury voice to create personalized speech synthesis which enables authentic communication.
- The AI model decodes speech signals in 80 milliseconds, reducing previous delays significantly.
Scientists at Radboud University together with UMC Utrecht developed brain implant technology with AI that translates neural signals into spoken words at accuracy rates between 92-100%, as reported by Neuroscience News . The research published this week in Nature Neuroscience seeks to develop communication tools for paralyzed people.
The research used epilepsy patients with short-term brain implants to create associations between neural signals and verbal expressions. The development cuts down on the previous delay that made communication difficult for speech-impaired people.
“Our streaming approach brings the same rapid speech decoding capacity of devices like Alexa and Siri to neuroprostheses,” explained Gopala Anumanchipalli, a co-principal investigator of the study, as reported by New Atlas . “Using a similar type of algorithm, we found that we could decode neural data and, for the first time, enable near-synchronous voice streaming,” he added.
The system works by capturing brain activity through high-density electrodes placed on the brain’s surface. The AI then deciphers these signals, reconstructing words and sentences with remarkable accuracy.
In addition, a text-to-speech model trained on the patient’s pre-injury voice ensures that the generated speech sounds natural, and closely resembles their original voice.
One of the study’s authors, Cheol Jun Cho, explained how the system processes thoughts into speech: “What we’re decoding is after a thought has happened, after we’ve decided what to say, after we’ve decided what words to use and how to move our vocal-tract muscles,” as reported in New Atlas.
The breakthrough significantly improves on past technologies . Additionally this AI-powered system now provides one-second speech initiation which enables uninterrupted fluid conversations. This technology could be life-changing for people with severe paralysis, locked-in syndrome, or conditions such as ALS, by enabling their ability to communicate naturally with others.
However, despite these advancements, the technology still faces challenges. As explained in Neuroscience News, this AI requires extensive training on a person’s neural data, and it may not work effectively for those who lack prior speech recordings.
While the system can decode words, achieving completely natural pacing and expression remains difficult. Additionally, current models struggle to predict full sentences and paragraphs, focusing mainly on individual words.
Additionally, non-invasive versions using EEG helmets have lower accuracy, around 60%, compared to implanted electrodes, as noted in New Scientist .
Moving forward, researchers aim to enhance the system’s speech speed and expressiveness, making conversations feel even more lifelike.
Image by Yoshi Canopus, from Wikimedia Commons
Social Security Website Crashes Amid Controversial Policy Changes
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
The Social Security Administration (SSA) is looking into why the website has been down multiple times, which has prevented people from logging into their accounts through the “My Social Security” portal.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- Some recipients who receive SSI benefits received incorrect notices that incorrectly stated they were without benefits.
- The SSA has started moving all services to online platforms at the same time it reduces its phone-based support which has generated widespread criticism.
- SSA revealed that they had shut down certain offices even though they previously denied permanent closures.
The problems have raised alarm, as the agency has been moving more services online while cutting back on phone-based support, as reported by Gizmodo .
In a statement reported by the AP , the agency confirmed two recent incidents. While the disruptions lasted around 20 minutes on average, the website remained functional, though some users experienced difficulties logging into their “My Social Security” accounts.
The system failures have caused widespread concern because most retirees and disabled Americans use the online portal to handle their benefits. The SSA website experienced four service disruptions during the last ten days because of server overload, which prevented millions of users from accessing their account,s according to The Washington Post .
On top of this, the AP reported that SSA also sent incorrect notices to some SSI recipients who received messages saying they were “not receiving benefits” but the SSA later explained this was a clerical error.
The AP argues that the problems align with a significant operational transformation that took place during the tenure of acting Commissioner Leland Dudek while Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) faced public scrutiny.
The agency has been pushing beneficiaries toward online services while cutting back on phone-based assistance, a move that has drawn criticism, as noted by Fortune . The SSA has partially reversed a recent decision that required retirees to verify their identity online instead of over the phone for certain benefits after public backlash, as noted by Gizmodo.
Musk, who has been vocal about alleged fraud within Social Security, claimed at a political event in Wisconsin that “40 percent of the calls into Social Security were fraudulent,” noted Gizmodo. However, The New York Times has pointed out that this claim lacks evidence and appears to misrepresent a different statistic.
Forbes points out that DOGE has placed at least ten employees inside the SSA to detect areas of inefficiency. SSA data contradicts Musk’s fraud allegations since SSA data show that improper payments amounted to less than 1% of benefits between 2015 and 2022, according to an inspector general report.
Furthermore, Gizmodo notes that the SSA’s office closures have generated significant controversy. The agency first stated it had no plans to close permanent locations, but later admitted the termination of leases for unused facilities which included a major White Plains New York hearing office.
With millions depending on Social Security, ongoing technical issues and policy shifts continue to fuel uncertainty about the program’s future.
