Brain/Cloud Interface

 

The brain/cloud interface, or B/CI, is a conceptual connection between the human brain and cloud computing networks that may become a reality as soon as 2040. Enabled by neuralnanorobots, AI, machine learning, and 5G technologies, the brain/cloud interface and complementary emerging technologies such as the universal translator and transparent shadowing will enhance human cognitive abilities and resolve existing issues within mobile and open learning.

 

The B/CI will outperform traditional mobile devices such as phones, laptops, and wearables. Even as these devices become more affordable and accessible, they will become obsolete in an era of human enhancement through implantable technologies that connect human brains directly to computers and information networks.

 

The Problem of Mobile and Open Learning

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The promise of mobile and open learning to increase global educational opportunities and access for all has been significantly restricted by language exclusion. About 80% of MOOCs, or Massive Online Open Courses, and 50% of information on the internet are in English, while only 30% of users are English speaking (Agudo, 2019). This is a problem as 70% of the world’s population cannot access the majority of open courses or information online or access formal education at institutions that require proof of English proficiency.

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Forecasted Solutions

 

As seen in science fiction, universal translation is the concept that any language can be automatically translated into another. Currently, limited mobile and wearable technologies exist to help people overcome language barriers, but in combination with the B/CI, a real time universal translator may eventually eliminate language barriers completely to create truly open and accessible learning opportunities for all. Multilingual artificial Neural Machine Translation is a nascent technology responsible for rapidly improving the quality of translation, and by 2040, real time translation is probable (Li, 2015).

 

Transparent shadowing (TS) is a conceptual idea originating with Frank Boehm in which an "individual might literally experience another person’s life, through their own eyes, for a predetermined duration" of time (Martins et. al, 2019). We reached out to Frank Boehm to ask some questions over e-mail, and according to him, a TS session will be fully immersive with attendees experiencing a full sensorial realm, and potentially, they may have access to a spatial host's (SH) thoughts and emotions (F. Boehm, personal communication, September 9, 2020). TS will help people develop a level of empathy and understanding beyond what is humanly possible in our current epoch.

 

We foresee the ability to subscribe to or download TS sessions to experience them asynchronously, which would make them more open and accessible. Boehm envisions that "Likely all TS sessions would be recorded and archived, with the fully immersive aspects intact" (Boehm, 2020). We predict TS use cases will be seen in education through teacher/student and mentor/apprentice relationships, as well as in conference or lecture events where an unlimited number of attendees will be able connect to a host (Martins et. al, 2019). However, "TS sessions would be subject to stringent protocols, encryption, and likely be recorded for security reasons and to protect all parties involved" and SH would be subject to screening and certification process (Boehm, 2020).

 

Initially the B/CI will be cost prohibitive to many, and for its application to extend beyond medical purposes to human enhancement, people will need to be willing to undergo invasive surgeries to implant neuralnanorobots into their brain. Though any ethical and moral questions regarding the introduction of brain enhancement technologies to humankind must be thoroughly considered, we believe the universal translator and transparent shadowing have the potential to improve mobile and open education through the B/CI.