by Gautam Hazari
Humanity’s Next Challenge: Preserving Choice and Identity in the Internet of Thoughts
Identity is a choice — a conscious choice — abstracted and protected through privacy.
A choice deeply entangled with our humanness.
Let me explain.
The way we speak, present ourselves, ask questions, respond, and behave collectively shapes our identity. When we meet someone, the first impressions - appearance, style, colours - trigger a complex inner dialogue in our brain. Our cognitive processes evaluate these cues, and we choose what to say or how to behave.
Most of us select complementary words. Not because our inner dialogue is purely positive, but because we choose not to hurt, offend, or judge. This choice - of what to express and what to keep private - is part of our identity.
You could argue that choosing not to reveal the inner dialogue is itself an identity. And you would be right. Those thoughts, diverse and often contradictory, remain private. We decide what crosses the boundary between the private mind and the public world. That boundary is essential.
It has allowed humans to coexist in caves, tribes, societies, nations, and now a global civilisation. Our identity has always depended on the privacy of our inner dialogue.
What Happens if That Boundary Breaks?
What if that privacy boundary begins to crumble?
What if your inner thoughts - the last untouched frontier of privacy - are no longer private?
Such a shift would challenge identity at its core. It would disrupt the very psychological architecture our species has relied upon for survival and social cohesion. And this is no longer theoretical.
The Birth of the Internet of Thoughts (IoTh)
In 2023, I introduced the term IoTh – the Internet of Thoughts in my Forbes article:
I referenced an Apple patent describing EEG electrodes embedded in AirPods that can read biosignals - essentially brain signals - to control devices.
At that time, it was only a patent. And while consumer EEG (Electroencephalography) devices existed (such as the Muse headband I experimented with back in 2018), their capabilities were limited and mainly focused on meditation and simple cognitive states.
But two years is a long time in today’s AI-accelerated technological landscape.
The State of IoTh Today
A growing ecosystem of companies is now developing EEG-based and Brain-Computer Interface (BCI)-based wearables, many already in the hands (or rather, on the heads) of consumers:
Non-invasive (Wearable) EEG & BCI:
- Emotiv – Wireless EEG headsets; launched the MN8 EEG earbuds in 2024.
- Neurable – Produces everyday BCI-enabled devices, including the MW75 Neuro (2024), the first consumer-grade BCI headphones.
- Neurosky – Provides EEG/ECG chips for developers.
- OpenBCI – Open-source EEG hardware for researchers and hobbyists.
- BrainCo – EEG-enabled headbands for meditation, education, and gaming.
- Bitbrain – High-accuracy EEG for neuromarketing, cognitive assessment, and AI research.
- Cognixion – Developing BCI tools for people with speech impairments, now in clinical trials for integration with Apple Vision Pro.
Invasive (Implantable) BCIs:
- Blackrock Neurotech – Implants enabling people with paralysis to operate devices via thought.
- Synchron – Endovascular implants placed without open brain surgery.
- Neuralink – High-bandwidth invasive implants to restore and enhance neural functions.
This list is far from exhaustive. But it proves one thing clearly:
The Internet of Thoughts is no longer a distant idea — it has entered early reality.
And now, powered by advanced AI models capable of interpreting EEG and neural signals far more effectively, the decoding of internal cognitive states is accelerating.
When Thoughts Become Credentials
What's the most immediate implication when thoughts might become credentials?
Security.
Today, fraudsters must phish you or hack your password vault.
In an IoTh world, they may simply need you to think your password.
Once thoughts become readable signals, the stakes change dramatically.
But this is only the beginning...
From Read to Write: The Evolution of Every Internet
In my Forbes article, I highlighted a worrying but logical progression.
Every major evolution of the Internet followed the same path:
- Web: From Read → Write → Read-Write
- IoT: From sensing → actuating → autonomous control
- IoTh: From reading → potentially influencing → eventually writing
If our thoughts can be read, could they also… be influenced? Be nudged?
Could external systems plant impulses or directions into our cognitive flow?
This is not science fiction. It is a trajectory.
What Happens to Identity Then..?
If our inner thoughts become visible. if our cognitive boundaries dissolve, then identity is no longer a choice.
Identity becomes exposed, manipulated, or reprogrammed.
The psychological frameworks that govern human behaviour, social interaction, trust, empathy, and conflict all become destabilised.
Let's think about this. This implication challenges:
- Our societal norms
- Our interpersonal relationships
- Our legal systems
- Our concept of autonomy
- Our fundamental humanness
We suddenly face more questions than answers.
A Call to Humanise the Future
The purpose of this article is not to paint a dystopian picture, though the implications are undeniably serious. As a futurist, I explore these possibilities not to alarm, but to prepare - and to initiate dialogue.
We must shape this future intentionally, not accidentally.
We must humanise technology, safeguarding the psychological, social, and ethical constructs that make us human.
Let’s work together to find the answers before IoTh finds us unprepared.
And as always, I remain optimistic...
We will make the digital world a SAFr place, together.
Gautam Hazari is a relentless innovator with a knack for turning complex tech into seamless, human-centred solutions. As CPIO of XConnect (and before that CTO at Sekura.id), he’s the inventor of the mobile identity APIs that have redefined digital security, leading the rollout of GSMA’s Mobile Connect across 60 operators in 30 countries. His portfolio of identity and access control patents reads like a blueprint for the future of authentication.
A passionate advocate for ditching passwords forever, Gautam’s expertise stretches across AI, blockchain, and the Metaverse - topics he dissects with precision in articles, advisory roles, and TEDx talks. And then there’s his musical side: playing over a dozen instruments with the same finesse he brings to tech. Gautam Hazari isn’t just a CPIO; he’s a pioneer crafting tomorrow’s identity landscape while finding time to soundtrack it.