Microsoft has filed a patent application that details the use of subconscious thoughts as a proof-of-work concept with the intention of mining cryptocurrency.
The concept uses body data, including brain waves, body temperature, blood flow, movement, organ activity, your pulse, eye movement and much more. These data points are then paired with the task a person is doing and then used as a proof-of-work (PoW) element This data would be unique for each individual, forming essentially a digital fingerprint and the unique data required for PoW.
[link to patentscope.wipo.int (secure)]
Allow us for a moment to go down a bit of a sc-fi hole here. Although Microsoft’s patent applications shows a potential way to make earning money and cryptomining easier, it’s hard to ignore the dystopian future vibes.
Of course, for the time being, this is just a patent application, and we may never seem anything come from it. But imagine a world where you put on a headset, a few body sensors and watch ads or interact with digital content to make money.
However, as with all crypto, as the popularity increases and the ‘work’ gets more difficult, the money made per hour will be much less. For many, it may no longer be worth investing the time.
Matters get concerning in the long run. We wouldn’t be surprised to see this technology eventually used for marketing purposes. Body data and brain waves are perfect data to measure just how much of a dopamine kick you’re getting from certain ads — information that’s perfect for crafting even better ads.
Is anyone else getting some Wall-E vibes here?
I’ll leave it at that for now. Of course, we have to highlight again, this is just a patent at this point, and making anything more of it beyond the facts is pure speculation.