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Summary

Neuralink, a neurotechnology company founded by Elon Musk, has successfully implanted the first brain-computer interface (BCI) chip in a human, marking a significant advancement in the field of neural augmentation.

Abstract

Neuralink, an American neurotechnology company established by Elon Musk, has achieved a milestone by successfully performing the first human implantation of its brain-computer interface (BCI) chip. This breakthrough, announced by Musk on his social platform X, signifies the realization of a concept long explored in science fiction: the creation of cyborgs, or humans with enhanced abilities through technology. The device aims to facilitate direct communication between the human brain and computers, potentially revolutionizing the treatment of neurological conditions and offering individuals the ability to interact with machines using thought. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved human trials for Neuralink last year, paving the way for this historic surgery. The initial human studies are focused on enabling participants with spinal cord injuries or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis to control computers with their minds. While the scientific community anticipates the outcomes of Neuralink's research, concerns have been raised about the ethical implications and potential societal divisions that may arise from such technology.

Opinions

  • Tara Spires-Jones, president of the British Neuroscience, views BCI interfaces as having immense potential to aid individuals with neurological disorders and highlights the progress from basic neuroscience research to medical applications.
  • Allan McCay from the University of Sydney cautions that the advent of BCI technology could create unprecedented class divisions if only some individuals can afford to enhance their cognitive functions.
  • The success of Neuralink's technology is seen as a potential game-changer in medicine, particularly for treating difficult cases, as noted by the positive reception from the scientific community.
  • Concerns have been expressed over the ethical treatment of animals in Neuralink's research, with reports of animal deaths and suffering during experiments.
  • The author of the article encourages readers to support content creators on Medium.com, emphasizing the importance of contributions to sustain quality content creation.
  • The author also recommends an AI service, ZAI.chat, as a cost-effective alternative to ChatGPT Plus (GPT-4), highlighting its affordability and performance.

The first chip has been implanted into the human brain. It’s a Neuralink implant by Elon Musk.

Elon Musk’s neurotechnology company has just performed a historic operation. The Neuralink implant has been successfully implanted into a patient’s brain for the first time. Elon Musk shared this information on X.

[Image generated by AI, Free to use]

Connecting a machine to the human brain sounds like good science fiction. The concept of a “cyborg” has been known in literature since the 1960s. A cyborg is an organism whose life processes are augmented by a computer or artificial intelligence. This concept suggests that through technology, we can create superhumans who gain AI abilities while losing the limitations of our species. The vision may be frightening, but it turns out it’s already beginning to happen.

Connecting the human brain to a machine

Neuralink Corporation is an American neurotechnology company founded by Elon Musk in 2016, a billionaire who owns Tesla, Twitter (now X), and SpaceX. The company focuses on creating implantable devices for the human brain to enable direct communication with computers. After 8 years, it was announced that such a chip had been successfully implanted in a human for the first time.

The project envisions that the device could enable performing simple tasks such as information retrieval and even complex computations with the help of a computer. And it would be controlled by the brain using thoughts. Elon Musk announced a few years ago that Neuralink technology could allow people to create a kind of symbiosis between humans and artificial intelligence.

[Photo: Steve Jurvetson, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons]

Musk’s company implanted the chip into the first patient

Elon Musk has just announced on the X social platform that Neuralink implanted a chip into a human on January 28. It’s called a brain-computer interface (BCI). Musk wrote, “The first human has received an implant from Neuralink yesterday and is recovering well. Initial results show promising neuron spike detection”. This means the device can receive brain signals from a person.

The brain-computer interface allows for direct communication between the brain and the computer. The goal of research on BCIs is to improve or completely repair human senses, such as vision, as well as motor functions caused by conditions like paralysis.

Research on BCIs began with Hans Berger’s discovery in 1924 of electrical activity in the human brain and the development of electroencephalography. Berger was the first scientist to record human brain activity using an electroencephalograph (EEG).

The Food and Drug Administration approved Neuralink’s human trials last year, despite initial concerns. These concerns included integrated lithium batteries and the ability to remove the implant upon request. In September 2023, Neuralink announced that the device is surgically implanted through a small opening in the skull and then places thin electrodes in the brain to read neuron activity.

The society of cyborgs

The initial Neuralink studies on humans aim to enable participants to control a computer cursor or keyboard with their minds. The identities of the first patients are not yet known. It’s known that participants had to be at least 22 years old and have confirmed quadriplegia due to spinal cord injuries or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. They also needed to have no history of seizures and no other implants, such as pacemakers.

The entire scientific community is now eagerly awaiting the results of Neuralink’s research. The success of Elon Musk’s company could lead to enormous breakthroughs in medicine and the treatment of extremely difficult cases. Interestingly, in 2022, Elon Musk himself said that he wants to implant a BCI device in the future.

“The idea of BCI interfaces has enormous potential to help people with neurological disorders in the future. It’s an excellent example of how basic research in neuroscience is being used for medical progress,” said Tara Spires-Jones, president of the British Neuroscience, in a statement to the Science Media Center.

[Image generated by AI, Free to use]

Concerns about BCI

However, not all experts are optimistic. In the past, not all of Neuralink’s experiments on animals have been successful. According to a Reuters report, up to 1,500 animals died during the research, and in some cases, the tests caused “unnecessary suffering.” On the other hand, BCI implants, if they work correctly, could be very expensive, which will only widen the societal divides.

“A society where some people enhance their cognitive functions while others do not could create class divisions like never before,” said Allan McCay, an expert from the University of Sydney, in an interview with The Washington Post.

Neuralink is not the only company working on BCI chips. In the past, both university teams (such as from Stanford University) and commercial startups (like Synchron) have conducted trials of implanting devices in humans. Some have even successfully interpreted brain signals and converted them into readable text on a computer.

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