Herself’s Artificial Intelligence

If not yet then soon it will be. Think of the advantages for employers. Employers, the government, the military can use software like this to learn how to get the most out of each person and to drive them harder and make them more productive.

Tufts University researchers are developing techniques that could allow computers to respond to users’ thoughts of frustration — too much work — or boredom—too little work. Applying non-invasive and easily portable imaging technology in new ways, they hope to gain real-time insight into the brain’s more subtle emotional cues and help provide a more efficient way to get work done.
“New evaluation techniques that monitor user experiences while working with computers are increasingly necessary,” said Robert Jacob, computer science professor and researcher. “One moment a user may be bored, and the next moment, the same user may be overwhelmed. Measuring mental workload, frustration and distraction is typically limited to qualitatively observing computer users or to administering surveys after completion of a task, potentially missing valuable insight into the users’ changing experiences.”

Sergio Fantini, biomedical engineering professor, in conjunction with Jacob’s human-computer interaction (HCI) group, is studying functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) technology that uses light to monitor brain blood flow as a proxy for workload stress a user may experience when performing an increasingly difficult task. A $445,000 grant from the National Science Foundation will allow the interdisciplinary team to incorporate real-time biomedical data with machine learning to produce a more in-tune computer user experience. . . . [ read more Technology could enable computers to 'read the minds' of users ]

Functional near infrared spectroscopy measures changes in blood concentrations of oxygen and sugar that happen in your brain with neural activity. This is non-invasive, physically. It appears for now you must wear headgear when the test is done. I wonder how long it will be before you can point a laser type light as someone and find out what that person is thinking?

See also:
Human-Computer Interaction and Brain Measurement Using Functional Near- Infrared Spectroscopy (pdf)

Tufts research aims to ‘read the minds’ of computer users
M$ patents frustration detecting system