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In my daily NPR listening I have taken in at least three stories on the emerging technology of FMRI, or Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. It is a mashup of technology and medicine in which doctors and scientists are able to effectively see what you are thinking. What’s more, is that after observing the visual response of someones brain for a little while, patterns emerge in which the observer “knows” what you are thinking.

In the past few stories on this technology the application and studies have usually been focused on helping doctors understand how drugs affect patterns in the brain and how people suffering from mental illnesses like schizophrenia may be helped. That is all well and good, but in each story the future application of this mind reading device is hinted to be lie detecting… and of course marketing… I think I am getting sick…

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The thought of my brain getting scanned as marketing gurus attempt to analyze which packaging makes me more likely to buy a particular laundry detergent, or which 30 second spot stimulated the most desire to purchase a particular car model… makes me noxious. Its just a matter of time before the technology becomes quick and efficient and the devices miniaturized and put in everything from TVs to rear view mirrors. TVs that know what you want to watch… cars that can predict what you want to listen to on the radio. Then somewhere in cyberland is a big database full of my mental images… with tons of computing power working away on the ever important question… how do we get Shane to buy something…

• Wiki on FMRI

Categories: Technology, Experiments