Scientists read bird' brain signals to predict what they'll sing next

Signals in the brains of birds have been read by scientists, in a breakthrough that could help develop prostheses for humans who have lost the ability to speak. In the study silicon implants recorded the firing of brain cells as male adult zebra finches went through their full repertoire of songs. Feeding the brain signals through artificial intelligence allowed the team from the University of California San Diego to predict what the birds would sing next. The breakthrough opens the door to new devices that could be used to turn the thoughts of people unable to speak, into real, spoken words for the first time. Current state-of-the-art implants allow the user to generate text at a speed of about 20 words per minute, but this technique could allow for a fully natural'new voice'.