A computer security specialist is making startling claims about the future of AI chips and says people will demand they be implemented in “our babies and children”.
Chips implanted in the brain could be attacked by hackers PHOTO Shutterstock
He believes that these devices will become popular, but will also bring significant risks.
Roger Grimes, a 35-year computer security specialist, author of dozens of books on data and computer security, and cyber defense consultant to major corporations, claims that “One day the medical industry or the government will offer fantastic new capabilities that consumers will desperately want, and we'll all be praying to implant them (chips) in our babies and children.”
According to The Sun, Grimes draws attention to the major risks associated with brain chip technology, such as Elon Musk's Neuralink, which could easily become a target for hackers.
Moreover, current medical devices can be infected with devastating consequences, and Grimes believes that the real danger will arise when these chips become ubiquitous.
The cybersecurity expert warns that any computer can be targeted by hackers, including brain chips, and with their proliferation, the risk of cyber attacks inevitably increases. However, he notes that Musk's chip is currently not connected to the Internet, which significantly reduces the risk of hacking.
Grimes says that because the chip probably doesn't run a popular operating system and apps, it's much more difficult for those without internal specs to figure out ways to attack. At the same time, he points out that it is not known for sure whether the chip can be updated with code, which is necessary for most cyber attacks.
Cyber attacks on the chips in the brain would be devastating
Although he admits that it is very difficult to crack a brain chip at present, Grimes points out that it may become possible in the future. It recalls the case in 2017 when about 500,000 pacemakers were recalled by the US Food and Drug Administration over fears that they were too easy to cyber attack.
Grimes also says a cyber attack on an AI brain chip would have devastating consequences for the user. He claims that attacks on medical devices have demonstrated the ability of hackers to manipulate functions in a way that endangers the wearer's life.
The possibility of such a chip being wiped out entirely is also a worrying prospect, especially given Musk's plans for Neuralink.
Another shocking prospect, according to the expert, is the possibility of “saving the state” of the brain and restoring it in another body or even in a robot body.
However, Grimes believes that at the current stage of technology development, there is no reason for immediate concern. He assures that “this device is new, and its novelty and isolation to a single patient make the possibility of a cyber attack unlikely, even if someone had the ability to do it“.
