The brain implant industry is nearing its public debut
Images: Neuralink
Neuralink, the brain implant startup led by Elon Musk, is recruiting patients for its first-ever human clinical trial, the company announced this week. Science fiction, schmience fiction – this is real life, folks.
People who are fully paralyzed in all four limbs due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) can apply for the six-year-long study, which aims to give its participants the ability to control a computer cursor or keyboard using thoughts alone.
- Trial patients will have a chip surgically placed in the part of the brain that controls their intention to move.
- The chip, installed by a robot surgeon, will then record and send the patients’ brain signals to an app, which then translates those signals into computer commands.
- Neuralink has already successfully tested its brain-computer interface (BCI) technology in animals, including a 2021 experiment in which a monkey played the video game Pong using only its thoughts.
👀 Looking ahead… While Neuralink’s initial human trial is focused on giving fully-paralyzed patients the ability to communicate like Professor X, CEO Elon Musk has also announced future plans for implants that could help people learn languages, communicate thoughts mentally, or “solve” brain-related disorders like schizophrenia.
But experts say any such applications won’t be publicly available for at least the next decade, since Neurolink will first have to prove its BCI is safe and effective in humans via a series of years-long clinical trials.
🧠Zoom out: A handful of other companies working on similar brain implants have made significant strides in recent years.
- Blackrock Neurotech is planning to bring the first commercially-available BCI in history to market sometime next year.
- A Jeff Bezos- and Bill Gates-backed company called Synchron began human clinical trials of their BCI technology in July 2022.
- Startup Paradromics is aiming to launch the first human trial of its BCI device in early 2024.
đź“Š Flash poll: If given the opportunity, would you personally want an implant in your brain which gave you heightened mental abilities?
See a 360° view of what media pundits are saying →
Sprinkles from the Left
- Some commentators argue that brain implant technology has the potential to change society for the better for many people, especially those with severe spinal cord injuries or neurological diseases.
- Others contend that brain-computer interfaces aren’t necessarily a new or unproven technology, and haven’t yet undermined humans’ autonomy over the two-plus decades they’ve been in use.
- “The Brain Implants That Could Change Humanity” –Moises Velasquez-Manoff, NY Times
- “Should we fear or encourage mind control?” –Arthur Caplan, Michael Pourfar, and Alon Y. Mogilner, Boston Globe
- “Premature Freak-Outs about Techno-Enhancement” –John Horgan, Scientific American
Sprinkles from the Right
- Some commentators argue that having a brain implant which promises mental improvements wouldn’t be worth the risk of side effects,possible neurological damage, and data privacy/security.
- Others contend that there are many issues, both technological and moral/ethical, which still need to be addressed before brain implant technology should be widely embraced by the general public.
- “Would you let Elon Musk implant a device in your brain?” –Tyler Cowen, Bloomberg
- “Why approval for Elon Musk’s Neuralink for humans is a bad idea” –Simantini Ghosh, Indian Express
- “We're Dangerously Close to Giving Big Tech Control Of Our Thoughts” –Susie Algere, TIME
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