Meta AI Hits 80% Mind-Reading Accuracy As Neuralink Rival Paradromics Secures NEOM Funding

The interest in brain-computer interface (BCI) devices has been growing in popularity over the last couple of years—especially since Elon Musk’s Neuralink came into the limelight.

It’s important to note that BCI devices aren’t a new concept and have been around for a while now.

Yet, the last few years have seen tremendous progress in this direction.

Despite aspersions being cast over its validity even less than two years ago, Neuralink managed to raise a whopping $43 million in additional funding, got necessary approvals to enter human trials, and even implemented its brain chips into a volunteer (around a year ago)—albeit with some hiccups along the way.

Recently, Elon Musk revealed that a third person received one of its BCI devices.

In the meanwhile, a host of other companies have entered the BCI arena, with their own unique takes on the technology’s design.

This includes Meta AI, which recently shared an amazing achievement in the BCI field.

As per a blog post published by the company, Meta’s Fundamental Artificial Intelligence Research (FAIR) revealed that it had successfully created an AI model that could reconstruct sentences by measuring brain activity with an accuracy of 80%.

However, Meta hit this record number without having to use invasive methods or surgical intervention, which is what Neuralink uses. Instead, Meta FAIR uses magnetoencephalography (MEG) and electroencephalography (EEG), methods that measure the magnetic and electric fields elicited by neuronal activity.

Meta observed 35 healthy volunteers who wore the non-invasive MEG and EEG devices and typed sentences. Following this, the AI model was trained to reconstruct sentences solely using brain signals. On new sentences, the AI model was able to decode up to 80% of the characters typed by the participants.

For this, Meta took 1,000 snapshots of the brain every second, allowing the researchers to pinpoint the precise moment where thoughts are turned into words, syllables, and even individual letters. This method showed at least double the effectiveness compared to EEG-based decoding.

“This research could create a new avenue for non-invasive brain-computer interfaces to help restore communication for those who have lost the ability to speak, but several important challenges remain before this approach can be applied in clinical settings,” reads the blog post.

The move comes as Meta looks to achieve advanced machine intelligence (AMI) and use it to power products and innovation for the benefit of everyone.


However, the study did pose some real-world challenges. For one, the MEG device method requires subjects to be in a magnetically shielded room where they remain extremely still to ensure the best results.

Secondly, the research was conducted using healthy volunteers—whereas future studies will need people suffering from brain injuries since one of the primary goals of this technology is to help restore communication for those who have lost the ability to speak.

Meta notes that each year millions of people suffer from brain lesions that could prevent them from communicating, while current invasive brain recording techniques are difficult to scale.

The achievement comes in collaboration with the Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, a leading interdisciplinary research center in San Sebastian, Spain.

For further information, interested parties can read Meta’s papers Brain-to-Text Decoding and From Thought to Action.

Ahead of this, Meta also announced a $2.2 million donation to the Rothschild Foundation Hospital in support of this work.


On the other end of the spectrum of non-invasive and invasive BCI devices stands Texas-based neurotech startup Paradromics, a global leader in high-data-rate brain-computer interface (BCI) technology and a rival of industry leaders Meta and Neuralink, who just announced a successful funding round.

The investment comes courtesy of NEOM, the sustainable region taking shape in northwest Saudi Arabia. More specifically, through NEOM Investment Fund (NIF), NEOM’s strategic investment arm. The amount remains undisclosed.

Through the funding, Paradromics will advance the development of BCI-based therapies, aimed at restoring, enhancing or replacing neurological functions for affected individuals. As part of the agreement, the company will also establish a BCI Center of Excellence within NEOM’s planned city.

Matt Angle, Ph.D., Founder and CEO of Paradromics, said, “NEOM and Paradromics both have expansive visions for the future of mental health that are highly aligned. Working together, we can accelerate the rate of innovation in BCI and expand access to impactful BCI-based therapies.” 

Dr. Mahmoud AlYamany, Head of NEOM’s Health and Well-Being sector, added, “Our partnership with Paradromics represents a major step forward in addressing the critical needs of individuals facing motor paralysis, speech impairment, and other debilitating conditions.


Do you think Meta or Paradromics will be able to beat Neuralink in the BCI sector? Do you think Neuralink should experiment with other forms of brain-computer interfaces?

Let us know in the comments below!