- Conduit, an AI startup, is paying participants up to $55 (roughly ₹5,200) to let its AI read their minds via non-invasive helmets.
- Founded in 2024 by Rio Popper and Clem von Stengel, Conduit aims to build thought-to-text models using non-invasive technology.
- In June, Conduit designed a system to translate brain scans into text, marking an early step towards aiding those with neurodegenerative illnesses.
- A December blog post detailed Conduit's data-collection sessions, which involve participants conversing with AI while wearing a helmet fitted with electrodes.
- Last week, Naomi Bashkansky announced her departure from OpenAI to join Conduit, expressing excitement about the company's vision.
- Bashkansky believes that as soon as next year, the Conduit headband could become a vital tool in her daily work.
- In 1908, Columbia professor Frederick Peterson claimed to have built a 'psychometer' to read thoughts, which modern researchers believe could be achievable through AI.
- Conduit's long-term goal is to create a wearable device that allows users to communicate commands to AI assistants directly through thoughts.
AI startup Conduit is pioneering a groundbreaking approach to mind-reading technology, offering participants up to $55 for two-hour sessions wearing a four-pound helmet equipped with electrodes. The company aims to develop thought-to-text models through non-invasive means, a concept it describes as “telepathy at scale.”12
Founded in 2024 by Rio Popper and AI researcher Clem von Stengel, Conduit is focused on creating systems that can interpret human thoughts without the need for surgical implants, unlike competitors such as Neuralink. Participants engage in freeform conversations with AI, with the goal of maximizing the amount they type or say during the session.
Naomi Bashkansky, a former alignment researcher at OpenAI, recently joined Conduit, expressing her belief in the company's vision of empowering humans through AI. She anticipates that by 2030, Conduit’s neural headband will allow users to communicate commands to AI tools using only their thoughts. Bashkansky envisions this technology becoming integral to daily life, enabling seamless interaction with AI assistants.5
“It feels like magic,” she remarked, echoing sentiments from early 20th-century experiments in thought-reading technology. Conduit’s long-term goal is to develop a wearable device that allows users to convey commands directly to AI, potentially revolutionizing how we interact with technology.8
“Participants must type without looking at their fingers and can join up to 32 two-hour sessions. Naomi Bashkansky, a former OpenAI alignment researcher, joined Conduit, calling the work 'frighteningly ambitious' and predicting a $1 trillion valuation.”
Gizmodo
