Tsinghua University Science Museum hosted a roundtable discussion focusing on brain-computer interfaces (BCI).
BCI technology has the potential to significantly change how we think about the mind, identity, and the human body. It raises fundamental questions: If the brain can interact directly with machines, how will we define the self? What purpose will the physical body serve?
"Although the development of BCI is an irreversible trend, we must preserve some level of indirectness. Excessive directness could undermine our autonomy," said Hu Yilin, a PhD student from the department of philosophy at Peking University.
"For example, when we go to a restaurant, we can look at the menu and make independent choices among the dishes."
In response, Zheng Hui, a PhD student at Tsinghua's laboratory of neural engineering, said that current product placements and advertisements remain within our control, and consumers can choose to close or exit them. BCI offers no such autonomous choice and may subtly influence people's speech and behavior.
Currently, BCI technology still relies on physical participation. But what if, in the future, it is no longer needed?
"If seamless brain-computer connection becomes a reality in the future, eliminating the need for physical intervention, could the body instead become a burden and distraction and disturb the smooth communication between brain signals and computers?" Hu said.
He noted that while a fit figure is valued today, the advancement of BCI might make cyborg forms more favored in the future, with machines and prosthetics replacing the human body.
Zhang Dan, a tenured associate professor from the department of psychological and cognitive science at Tsinghua University, said that much of human cognition can only be fully formed through the body's interaction with the physical world, not by the brain alone.
His team's studies found that body signals are crucial to emotional responses. In Zhang's view, the body and the brain can never be separated without revolutionary changes. "It is through the movements of organs, such as speaking and gesturing, that we can convert vague thoughts into clear, transmissible signals," he said.
He further noted that as the brain co-evolves with artificial intelligence and external machines, entirely new life forms may emerge beyond the current physical form.
Hu added that special attention must be paid to the boundaries of the use of BCI to avoid intensifying social inequalities.
Wang Yuehan, a curator of the Tsinghua University Science Museum and chief planner of the event, said, "No matter how technology advances, the body is still our most important partner at this moment."