Scientists Edge Closer to Turning Thoughts Into Speech

A brain-computer interface (BCI) has brought scientists closer to translating our silent inner thoughts into speech, offering new hope for people with paralysis or severe speech impairments.

“For people with severe speech and motor impairments, BCIs capable of decoding inner speech could help them communicate much more easily and more naturally,” says Erin Kunz, an electrical engineer at Stanford University leading the work.

By implanting electrodes in the motor cortex and training AI to interpret brain activity, researchers achieved up to 74% accuracy in decoding imagined words. A built-in privacy feature lets users activate the system with a mental password, ensuring consent. While not yet able to decode spontaneous thoughts, the breakthrough marks a major step toward restoring fluent communication.