Companies manipulating our subconscious is the stuff of dystopian nightmares, but according to an open letter signed by over 30 leading scientists, that’s exactly what’s in store for us. Targeted Dream Incubation (TDI) is a protocol to induce specific dreams when you sleep, and it seems businesses are starting to experiment with TDI.

The open letter cites a specific example of this kind of advertising by Coors, a beer brand, that attempted to infiltrate the subconscious and plant visuals of their beer in sleepers’ dreams. The hope was that listening to the 8-hour long soundtrack about Coors beer meant that when they woke, after dreaming of a refreshing beer set against a beautiful mountain landscape, they’d be more likely to buy Coors the next day.

Not only does this pose significant moral and ethical questions, but it could also impact our wellbeing. Our dream processes serve important purposes for our health and wellbeing, in fact, the letter states that “dream content can predict how well someone will adapt to waking challenges and concerns, including those related to trauma and depression.”

Which is why scientists are pleading us to take this kind of marketing seriously. Let’s look further at the moral and ethical implications of targeted dream incubation, and how advertisers are currently trying to permeate our subconscious.

Key takeaways

• With new brain imaging techniques and sleep studies designed to capture dream content, the ability to manipulate dreams for commercial gain is becoming a reality
• Multiple big businesses have already tried TDI, including Coors, Burger King and Xbox
• Without clear boundaries and regulations, our dreams may be manipulated further without our consent to influence our purchasing behavior

The open letter was written by leading scientists in dream science and technology, including Robert Stickgold and Antonio Zadra, writers of When Brains Dream, and Adam Haar, co-developer of TDI tools.

It was written in 2021 as a response to what Molson Coors called ‘the world’s largest sleep study,’ where people were encouraged to watch a short clip on YouTube before bed and then listen to an 8-hour soundscape as they slept. The aim of both was to plant imagery of a refreshing Coors beer as well as alpine landscapes in the minds of sleepers, to encourage them to buy Coors to drink while watching the Superbowl that was taking place the next day.

A new brain-machine interface (BMI) uses light to "speak" to the brain, mouse experiments show.

The minimally invasive wireless device, which is placed under the scalp, receives inputs in the form of light patterns, which are then conveyed to genetically modified neurons in brain tissue.

In the new study, these neurons activated as if they were responding to sensory information from the mice's eyes. The mice learned to match these different patterns of brain activity to perform specific tasks — namely, to uncover the locations of tasty snacks in a series of lab experiments.

The device marks a step toward a new generation of BMIs that will be capable of receiving artificial inputs — in this case, LED light — independent of typical sensory channels the brain relies on, such as the eyes. This would help scientists build devices that interface with the brain, without requiring trailing wires or bulky external parts.

"The technology is a very powerful tool for doing fundamental research," and it could address human health challenges in the longer term, said John Rogers, a bioelectronics researcher at Northwestern University and senior author of the study, which was published Dec. 8 in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

Bypassing the sensory system

The device, which is smaller than a human index finger, is soft and flexible, so it conforms to the curvature of the skull. It includes 64 tiny LEDs, an electronic circuit that powers the lights, and a receiver antenna. Additionally, an external antenna controls the LEDs using near-field-communications (NFC) — electromagnetic fields for short-range communications as is done for contactless card payments.

The compact device is designed to be placed under the skin, rather than being implanted directly into the brain. "It projects light directly onto the brain [through the skull], and the response of the brain to that light is generated by a genetic modification in the neurons," Rogers told Live Science.

Brain cells don't normally respond to light that is shone on them, so gene editing is required to make that happen.

"The genetic modification creates light-sensitive ion channels," Rogers explained. When activated by light, these channels allow charged particles to flow into brain cells, tripping a signal that then gets sent to other cells. "Through that mechanism, we create light sensitivity directly in the brain tissue itself," he said. The genetic modification of the brain cells was done using a viral vector, a harmless virus made to deliver the desired genetic tweak into specific cells in different regions of the brain.

The use of light to control the activity of genetically modified cells is called optogenetics, and it's a relatively new science. In past work, the researchers used a similar approach to activate just one group of brain cells, but the new device enabled them to toggle the activity of many neurons across the brain.

"[The genetic modification] is not just stimulating the part of the brain that's naturally responsible for visual perception, but across the entire surface of the cortex," Rogers said. Thus, sending different patterns of illumination creates a corresponding distribution of neural activity. "It's like we can project a series of images — almost like play a movie — directly into the brain by controlling [the] sequence of patterns."

The researchers tested the implant in the mice by wirelessly instructing it to produce various patterned bursts of light. The mice were trained to respond to each pattern with a specific behavior, indicating that they could distinguish between the patterns transmitted. With each type of signal, they had to go to a specific cavity in a wall, and for choosing correctly, they'd get sugar water as a reward.

Bin He, a neuroengineering researcher at Carnegie Mellon University who wasn't involved in the study, called it a novel technique for using light to tune circuits across the brain. "It may have various applications in neuroscience research using animal models … and beyond," he said.

For instance, the researchers see potential for this device in future prosthetics. Applications could include adding sensations, like touch or pressure, to prosthetic limbs, or sending visual or auditory signals to vision or hearing prostheses.

"Optogenetic techniques are just beginning to be used with humans," Rogers said. "There are tremendous advantages [to using light] because you don't need to disrupt the brain tissues. You can use different wavelengths of light to control different regions of the brain."

Rogers said that from a technology standpoint, the platform could scale to cover much larger areas of the brain and contain more micro-LEDs. However, they would have to rethink the power-supply requirements to support a larger device. It should technically work in humans as it does in mice, but further research will be needed before any tests are attempted in humans.

"The biggest hurdle is around the regulatory approval for the genetic modification," he said.

Brain–computer interface (BCI) provides an interconnected pathway between the human brain and external devices and paves a potential route for mind manipulations. However, most existing BCI technologies are based on simple signal transmission and are independent of other interface devices, with limited consideration for the reliability and security of the human brain’s information interaction in complicated wireless environments. Here, we propose a deep fusion coding scheme that combines the BCI visual stimulation coding with metasurface space-time coding at the physical layer, enabling reliable and secure information transfers between the human brain and external devices. A brain space-time-coding metasurface platform is designed to implement a secure wireless communication system by using harmonic-encrypted beams. We design and fabricate a proof-of-principle prototype and experimentally show that the proposed wireless BCI scheme can establish a remote but safeguarded paradigm for human–machine interactions and intelligent metasurfaces, providing a potential direction in future secure wireless communications.

1,085 views Dec 8, 2025 Researchers at Columbia University, working in a team including Stanford University and the University of Pennsylvania, have developed a wireless, high-bandwidth channel-count brain-computer interface (BCI) platform, called the Biological Interface System to Cortex, or BISC, that promises to dramatically expand the capabilities of human–machine interaction and neuro-therapeutics.

The entire implant is a single complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuit chip thinned to a total thickness of only 50 um rendering it mechanically flexible. The resulting micro-electrocorticography (µECoG) device integrates 65,536 electrodes, 1024 recording channels, and 16,384 stimulation channels. The device consumes a volume of less than 2 mm3, allowing it to sit directly on the surface of the brain, under the skull. By leveraging the large-scale manufacturing techniques developed in the semiconductor industry, these implants can be easily manufactured at-scale.

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The sophisticated electronics used by warfighters in everything from radios, remote sensors and even phones can now be made at such a low cost that they are pervasive throughout the battlefield. These electronics have become necessary for operations, but it is almost impossible to track and recover every device. At the end of operations, these electronics are often found scattered across the battlefield and might be captured by the enemy and repurposed or studied to compromise DoD’s strategic technological advantage.

What if these electronics simply disappeared when no longer needed? DARPA announces the Vanishing Programmable Resources (VAPR) program with the aim of revolutionizing the state of the art in transient electronics or electronics capable of dissolving into the environment around them. Transient electronics developed under VAPR should maintain the current functionality and ruggedness of conventional electronics, but, when triggered, be able to degrade partially or completely into their surroundings. Once triggered to dissolve, these electronics would be useless to any enemy who might come across them.

“The commercial off-the-shelf, or COTS, electronics made for everyday purchases are durable and last nearly forever,” said Alicia Jackson, DARPA program manager. “DARPA is looking for a way to make electronics that last precisely as long as they are needed. The breakdown of such devices could be triggered by a signal sent from command or any number of possible environmental conditions, such as temperature.”

DARPA has posted a special announcement for a Proposers’ Day to be held in advance of a full solicitation in the form of a broad agency announcement. Performers are sought to conduct basic research into materials, devices, manufacturing and integration processes, and design methodology that will enable a revolutionary shift in transient electronics capabilities. The program seeks to culminate in a technology demonstration that builds a circuit representative of an environmental or biomedical sensor that is able to communicate with a remote user.

“Can machines think?” In his ground-breaking paper “Computing Machinery and Intelligence” published in 1950, Alan Turing raised this epoch-making question for the first time. This launched a new field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), as well as people’s insatiable curiosity about computers and intelligence.

Human civilization has now entered a new era of intelligence. As computing has grown more pervasive, society and every one of us are deeply embedded in the network of universal computing and reap the benefits of intelligent computing. Significant scientific discoveries and applications based on intelligent computing have emerged in many important areas, such as the solution of protein folding difficulties, the discovery of new antibiotics, and medical imaging diagnostics utilizing AI, thanks to the deep integration of machine intelligence, data, and computing methodologies. The advancement of civilization has been greatly aided by intelligent computing, and at the same time, the demand for computing is skyrocketing.

A number of difficult issues need to be resolved in order to meet the constantly increasing demand for computing. Computational speed is limited by the traditional von Neumann architecture, computational methods are challenged by big data, the computational power supply is limited by energy consumption, and computing resource use is limited by access technology… There are still many issues that need to be explored and solved, meanwhile, sustainable solutions must be found for the future.

The Zhejiang Lab and Science have jointly solicited fundamental scientific questions with a significant guiding role for the future research of intelligent computing. After a series of solicitations, shortlisting, and evaluations, 10 questions found to be most profound and challenging were put forward by a panel of experts from around the world.

1. How do we define intelligence and establish the evaluation and standardization framework for intelligent computing?
2. Is there a unified theory for analog computing?
3. Where will the major innovations in computing come from, and will quantum computing approach the computational power of the human brain?
4. What new devices will be built (transistors, chip design, and hardware paradigms: photonics, spintronics, biomolecules, carbon nanotubes)?
5. How could intelligent computing enable intelligent machines?
6. How can we understand the storage and retrieval of memory based on the digital twin brain?
7. What is the most efficient path to converge silicon-based and carbon-based learning?
8. How to build interpretable and efficient AI algorithms?
9. Can strong intelligent computing with features of self-learning, evolvability, and self-reflection be realized?
10. How can we use real-world data to discover and generalize knowledge?

The 10 fundamental scientific questions in the field of intelligent computing are presented here in the hope that they will enlighten researchers globally. It is expected that scholars and researchers will engage in lively discussions on these 10 scientific questions, jointly promote potential breakthroughs within the questions and technological advances, and contribute to the development of human society.

AI is the future of technology, and it’s merging with the human mind. With Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs), AI can read, influence, and even rewrite thoughts. As this technology evolves, the real question is—who will control your mind, you or AI?

AI is no longer just changing the world—it’s changing you. The way you think, the way you feel, even the way you remember the past… all of it could soon be influenced, altered, or even controlled. We once feared AI taking our jobs, then our privacy. But now, the greatest battle isn’t happening online—it’s happening inside your mind.

A war is happening right now—not with weapons, not on the battlefield, but inside your mind. As Artificial Intelligence (AI) evolves beyond expectations, it’s no longer just about automation or controlling the internet. The real battleground is human thought itself.

With Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) advancing rapidly, AI is stepping into a new domain—mind reading, memory manipulation, and emotional control. Imagine a future where AI can predict your decisions before you make them, rewrite your memories, and even alter your emotions. Governments, corporations—even AI itself—could reshape reality as we know it.

🔹 Can AI read and control human thoughts?

🔹 Are BCIs the next step in human evolution—or the end of free will?

🔹 What happens when AI merges with the human brain?

This isn’t science fiction—it’s happening right now. The question is no longer if AI will control the human mind… but when.

The 2025 Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded to Richard Robson, Susumu Kitagawa and Omar Yaghi on Oct. 8, 2025, for the development of metal-organic frameworks, or MOFs, which are tunable crystal structures with extremely high porosity. These are a class of materials that have truly changed the way scientists design and think about matter, inspiring progress in various applications.

I’m a MOF scientist and for many of us in the field, this recognition feels both historic and deeply personal. MOFs are not just elegant crystals you’d admire under a microscope; they’re an entire universe of structures, each like a miniature city of tunnels and rooms waiting to be filled. They’ve been my scientific home since I first stepped into research, and they still feel a little bit like magic to me.

So, what exactly are MOFs?

Metal-organic frameworks are like crystalline scaffolds built from two ingredients: metals that act like connective joints and organic – that is, carbon-based – molecules that behave as bridges to link those joints in a repeating pattern. The result is a highly ordered, porous framework – a kind of molecular architecture that’s both sturdy and full of empty space.