MIT’s AlterEgo Converts Silent Thoughts Into Speech With 90% Accuracy

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a device which promises the “power of telepathy.”

The device, called AlterEgo,  is described as the “world’s first near-telepathic wearable” that enables “silent communication at the speed of thought,”  as first reported by the Telegraph.

The gadget is worn around the ears like a hearing aid, and detects small movements in facial muscles and vocal cords through bone conduction technology. These signals, known as “silent speech,” are then turned into words by its software.

The technology shows promise to transform the lives of people who have speech disorders as a result of multiple sclerosis. AlterEgo also allows users to communicate with each other, or access AI tools and Google searches without needing a phone.

Introducing Alterego: the world’s first near-telepathic wearable that enables silent communication at the speed of thought.

Alterego makes AI an extension of the human mind.

We’ve made several breakthroughs since our work started at MIT.

We’re announcing those today. pic.twitter.com/KX5mxUIBAk

— alterego (@alterego_io) September 8, 2025

Arnav Kapur, the MIT computer scientist who led the project, called AlterEgo a “revolutionary breakthrough” not limited to “how fast you can tap or swipe on screens and keyboards.”

He described it as a “natural extension of the human mind” and said the device would give people “the power of telepathy, but only for the thoughts you want to share.”

Scientists have explored brain-computer interface technology for decades, with the dream to develop a system which converts mental signals into digital ones.

For instance, Neuralink developed a chip directly connected to the brain. The first patient, Noland Arbaugh, has shown he can send messages and play video games through the device.

AlterEgo, however, stresses that it does not “mind-read.” Instead, it detects signals from users who deliberately, but silently, articulate words. “It does not read the thoughts coming up in the user’s mind,” the company explained to the Telegraph.

Currently, the device is about 90 percent accurate but needs training for each user. First developed at MIT in 2018, AlterEgo was spun off into a start-up this year.

While AlterEgo stresses that ‘Your thoughts stay private. AlterEgo only responds to intentional, silent speech. Your private thoughts stay private, and you direct every interaction,’ the rise of such technologies may still potentially open the possibility of future cybersecurity risks.

Indeed if the signals they rely on were ever intercepted or manipulated, these data streams may be altered, or exploited by malicious actors. This could in turn expose private intentions, or alter communication between users thus requiring new methods to protect mental privacy in digital environments.