23-Year-Old OpenAI Alignment Researcher Joins Brain-Computer Startup Conduit
新智元 · wechat · 2026-08-06
Naomi Bashkansky, a 23-year-old researcher from OpenAI's alignment team, has left to join startup Conduit as a founding researcher. Conduit focuses on non-invasive brain-computer interfaces, aiming to decode human thoughts before they are spoken using EEG headsets combined with LLMs.
According to the company's blog, their model can roughly predict a subject's intent in a zero-shot manner by analyzing neural signals seconds before articulation. Naomi compares this to GPS: the brainwave provides a fuzzy location, while the LLM and context act as the map to fill in the details.
She outlined a three-stage future vision: by 2027, fuzzy thoughts could direct AI sub-agents; by 2030, intent could bypass language for direct transmission; and by 2035, AI could act as a human "sixth sense." However, bypassing language to access raw thoughts raises profound ethical questions regarding personal consent and the definition of true intent.
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