Elon Musk said that the brain-computer interface company Neuralink has implanted its first device into people.
Eventually, Mr. Musk hopes the system could be used to merge humans with computers, allowing them to interact with artificial intelligence just by thinking, for example.
But for now, this method seems to be used in people with quadriplegia to enable them to interact with devices just by thinking.
Mr. Musk says he is the first person in history to get one of Neuralink’s brain chips in his head. While he has shared little about this test, he has talked about big plans for the company in the past.
What is a brain chip?
Neuralink’s website describes the new study as “a groundbreaking investigational medical device trial for our fully implantable, wireless brain-computer interface”; “It aims to evaluate the safety of our implant and surgical robot and evaluate the initial functionality of the device.” Our BCI”, which allows people with quadriplegia to control external devices with their thoughts.
In the research, people will be placed “a small, cosmetically invisible implant in the part of the brain that plans movements.” It is designed to interpret activity in the brain so that people can use a computer or smartphone only with the “intention to act.”
Neuralink has said in the past that this system is implanted in the head using a robot specially designed to perform this task. This is similar to a sewing machine that inserts probes into the brain, which are electrodes connected by wires.
Mr. Musk made similar claims on Twitter after announcing the first implant. He said that the name of the system was “Telepathy”.
“It makes it possible to control your phone or computer, and through them, almost any device, just by thinking,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “The first users will be those who have lost the ability to use their limbs.
“Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a speed typist or an auctioneer. That’s the goal.”
Is the first try successful?
It’s not entirely clear yet. Elon Musk has said little about it but suggested that it seems to be doing well.
He said the first person in the study “recovered” and that “initial results show that neuron spike detection is promising.”
However, experts said it may take some time to find out whether the system works.
“I think Neuralink will want to give the participant time to recover before they start training their systems with the participant,” said Anne Vanhoestenberghe, professor of active implantable medical devices at King’s College London.
“We know that Elon Musk is very adept at promoting for his company, so we can expect announcements as soon as we start testing, but the real success in my mind needs to be judged in the long term, based on how stable the interface is over time and how much benefit it provides to the participant.”
Where did Neuralink come from?
Neuralink was founded in 2016, and Mr. Musk announced it a year later. A. Wall Street Magazine The report then went on to suggest that the company is working to integrate humans with machines, and specifically artificial intelligence, but initial uses will be more focused, looking at conditions such as epilepsy and depression.
Neuralink is one of Mr. Musk’s smaller, more forward-looking projects, which once included ChatGPT creators OpenAI. It is one of a number of companies working on the cutting edge of brain-computer interfaces, or BCIs, which aim to enable humans to communicate directly with machines.
Neuralink has faced some backlash in the years since its founding, due to reports of unhappy staff and questions about the company’s animal testing. But he also announced some advances, including studies in monkeys.
What does Elon Musk want to do with Neuralink?
Mr. Musk has big plans for the company: He has talked about it in science fiction terms and speculated about the possibility of combining human thought with artificial intelligence. But for now, the company seems focused on more modest goals, like helping people with certain neurological conditions.
The CEO of SpaceX and Twitter often tends to run their companies this way. SpaceX, for example, is part of a broader plan to allow humanity to live on different planets, but for now it’s focusing on the more concrete task of putting rockets into space.
What happened so far?
Neuralink appears to have had some success in animal testing. He showed that the system was used to allow a monkey to play Pong, for example; This is a feat that has already been achieved by other researchers but still shows that Neuralink is making progress.
Away from Neuralink, scientists have made significant progress in connecting people’s brains to devices. But experts warn it’s still some time before they’ll be easily or widely available.
“In recent research trials (not related to Neuralink), scientists have succeeded in implanting brain-spine interfaces that help paralyzed people walk, and other studies show promising results in computers interpreting brain waves and brain scans to enable people who cannot walk. talk to communicate,” said Tara Spires-Jones, president of the British Neuroscience Association.
“However, many of these interfaces require invasive neurosurgery and are still in the experimental stage, so it will likely be many years before they become widely available.”