Stanford Researchers Develop Brain Chip That Converts Thoughts into Speech

Researchers at Stanford University have developed the first brain chip capable of decoding the words in a person’s mind and converting them into spoken language. This breakthrough aims to help patients who have lost the ability to speak.

According to the researchers, previous studies in the field of Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) paved the way for this invention. Earlier research focused on capturing brain signals during attempts to move the mouth, tongue, or vocal cords. This time, the Stanford team succeeded in creating a chip that directly translates internal thoughts into speech.

A Chip That Turns Thoughts into Spoken Words

As reported by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the Stanford team went beyond earlier research that only captured brain signals. This new chip can translate brain activity directly into speech by relying solely on a person’s internal speech—what they “say in their mind.”

The study involved four patients with severe paralysis due to ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) or brainstem strokes. One patient, who could only respond with eye movements, was able to answer yes or no. The results confirmed the chip’s effectiveness in translating brain signals into spoken words.

Participants were asked to try to speak or silently imagine words after electrode arrays were implanted in the motor cortex responsible for speech. AI models then decoded the neural patterns associated with phonemes (sound units) and assembled them into sentences.

A New Hope for People Who Cannot Speak

Results showed that internal speech patterns closely resembled actual attempts to speak, achieving 74% accuracy in real-time word recognition, despite weak neural signals. Interestingly, the chip sometimes picked up words that participants had not intended to imagine, raising privacy concerns.

To address this, the team developed a password system, allowing decoding only when a specific phrase is imagined. This method achieved 98% success, and scientists emphasize that it could allow people with motor disabilities to restore natural communication with the outside world.