AI, NeuroTech, Wearables and Meditation? If you like cool, you'll love reading this

NeuroTech

The thing about NeuroTech is that it makes the interaction between people and technology, rather intimate; to the extent that the technology actually tracks in detail, your entire thought process, and the various triggers or influences therein. Have you heard of Neuromarketing?

Marketing however, is not all, that NeuroTech does. It has the propensity to do much more, and that is exactly what I am writing about here.

AI and Wearables in the Mix

Consider the possibilities of the ubiquitous service of technology to you, when your Wearable Devices such as HMDs or Smart Watches, or Smart Clothing of tomorrow, constantly decipher, monitor, track, record, process and analyse the workings of your body that reveal your thoughts and emotions, with the help of AI aided applications. And then, through AI aided applications, technology talks back to you, in response to your thoughts and emotions, to guide you. Amazing thought? Let's talk about thought.

Human Thought

The human thought, is a very powerful force, capable of comprehending so much and producing so much. It took a space shuttle to bring man to the moon. It took human thought, to achieve that. The internet, and then the Internet of Things, all conceived and achieved, by human thought. So you see, it is powerful. When human thought is misguided, misdirected or misused, you get bombs, conflicts, wars, terrorism, anger, grief, sorrow and much more that is undesirable.

Mental Well-Being

With the same technological evolution or economic progress or pursuits brought about by human thought, much stress and emotional cost is generated, affecting the emotional and mental well-being of us, collectively, that either threatens or limits, the effectiveness of human thought, in many of us. In other words, the human success is to some extent and degree, responsible for a cost upon the mental well-being, of human beings.

Meditation

The oldest method, tool or mechanism at the human disposal to address issues of mental well-being, or to restore it or maintain it, is meditation. It is a freeze-frame technique that humanity has known since long before the term "freeze-frame technique" was coined. It starts with self-talk, or internal questioning, otherwise also known as introspection, and leads to withdrawal or detachment from fixations or issues, a sort of internal retreat, out of the frame, so that one can look at the big picture. And it leads to focus, clarity, and so on. More commonly, in the name of "soul searching", meditation has been painted as something wholly spiritual, for which, certainly there are meritorious arguments, which though do not take away the fact, that fundamentally, as a mental process, it is also, to quite a degree, rather secular. And, very useful.

Limitations

Stress, emotional and mental issues would be a lot fewer in the world, if meditation was effectively known or practiced by everybody. In fact, a lot of undesirable effects would be far fewer. Off course, fewer counselors, therapists and psychologists would have had jobs if indeed that were the state of things. Reality is, most people, aren't great with meditation. So what do you do? You take up classes, read books, join a spiritual movement if that works for you or you hire a meditation coach. Basically, you get someone who is good at it, to help you. They can't get inside your head though, and if they could, that would really work very well for you. And that is where we thank human thought, or its power, for emerging technology.

When Technology does Meditation

With NeuroTech, through your Wearables, AI applications are analyzing and deciphering your internal, conscious, sub-conscious and even unconscious thinking, as well as triggers, those applications can be designed to respond with cues or instructions, to help you better guide and manage your thinking, or, your mind, wherever necessary, whenever necessary, in live real time. And that can include, proper guidance in the steps and process of meditation, while monitoring, deeply, whether you are doing it right. As you attempt to meditate or think meditatively, and you are not doing it right, the application, can guide you. It can do so very effectively, because it will know intimately, exactly, what is going on, in your mind.

The Benefits of Meditation

The absence of reflection or introspection, leave the mind vulnerable to chaos, irrationality and impulse. Meditation on the other hand, at least in its effective outcome, offers immunity to all that, to a significant degree. When that happens, the potency of one's human thought is preserved or maintained or protected, so that it may add greater value, humanity's collective gain, moving forth in time. In other words, more and greater developments, desirable ones, to look forward to. Like more great technological leaps.

Also consider, why most persons convicted of crime, engage in criminal conduct or why someone becomes a terrorist, and you will find irrationality or impulse, common underlying triggers, for the thoughts or thought processes that follow, or their outcomes, such as spite, rage or fanaticism. If minds are conditioned to be immune to irrationality and impulse, it is possible, to, to a large extent, diminish crime, and defeat terrorism. Now imagine the good that can do for humanity.

Consider this idea. If people are passively, or involuntarily, and remotely, through IoT, via their own devices, wearable devices to be precise, are conditioned, with concerted messaging, through various channels or platforms that can reach them through those devices, to be meditative in their thoughts, or to think in ways that incline them towards meditation, they can in effect, be conditioned away, from the possibilities, of criminal conduct or terrorist behavior. What Neuromarketing already attempts to do today, is not far from this idea, of conditioning, to influence the molding of behaviors. Neuromarketing focuses on molding consumer behavior specifically. We just have to think of something else to focus on molding good citizen behavior. And if this can be done at an early stage of life, such as soon as children are given exposure to technology or devices, such as through early childhood education, we can alter the path of society, for the better.

That Ethic Bit Off Course

The trouble with conditioning as has always been, since long before electronics, let alone IoT and Wearables or NeuroTech, is that it can be employed to mold minds or behaviors against peoples' wills, possibly against their interests, and to the controllers of communication. Through that, wills of a few, can be imposed, upon the many. And so, using conditioning to encourage or mold minds into being meditative, so that they are resistant to irrational or impulsive behaviors, that lead to crime or terror, can also be misused on the pretext. And, one has to admit, that logically, it is a valid argument, and something that needs to be worked around.

Conclusion

Considering, that I am a Futurist by Profession, and that means, I am not in the business of imagining or fiction, but rather, cross-impact analysis of what is emergent, to identify and present possibilities, you know, that everything you just read, is not fantasy or fiction, but real technological feasibility within reach. That said, I told you, if you like cool, you'd love this. Tell me if you disagree.

Harish Shah is Singapore's first local born Professional Futurist and a Management Strategy Consultant. He runs Stratserv Consultancy. His areas of consulting and Keynote Topics include EmTech, Industry 4.0, HR, Digital Transformation, Marketing, Strategic Foresight, Systems Thinking and Organisational Future Proofing. He also has a background in Coaching and Meditation.