Back in the day, Elon Musk did say that we humans must become cyborgs to stay relevant.
And now that his brain implant company Neuralink moves towards conducting human trials,
it's all going to be possible? Hey folks, welcome back to AI science. A fan of our
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Neuralink is a cross between a Black Mirror episode we remember and a neuroscience play.
Even if the brain-computer interface (BCI) scales on humans in the twenty-first century,
we must expect it to take decades. Elon Musk and others co-founded Neuralink Corporation,
a neurotechnology business that develops implantable brain-machine interfaces. Depending
on which side of the fence you sit on, we will receive some interesting news in early 2022.
Neuralink, Elon Musk's brain chip company, is planning human clinical trials.
Musk's brain interface technology firm is called Neuralink. The business is developing a device
that might be implanted in a person's brain and used to both record and stimulate brain
activity. The technology has been equated to a "FitBit in your skull" by Musk. Neuralink
is one of the firms we should keep an eye on because, as humans, we must progress alongside
artificial intelligence. Some parts of artificial intelligence may be required for our existence.
Instead of carrying smart devices, it will become easier to integrate them into
our bodies over time. By that time, we'll have evolved into a functionally telepathic culture.
It's unclear whether widespread use of these devices would ever be useful or practical.
Musk, along with experts in neurology and robotics, co-founded the San Francisco-based
neurotechnology startup in 2016. Its goal is to help paralyzed persons connect with gadgets like
computers and phones in a more organic manner. The video appears to be stunning at first glance:
Pong is a famous Atari game played by a monkey. Its mental commands are wirelessly communicated
to a computer using only its mind. On April 8, 2021, the video was released on YouTube.
Millions of people have seen it. According to the Transhumanist movement,
we're all monkeys in some ways, and there may come a time when we'll need to embody
A.I. within ourselves. Scientists are apprehensive about a lot of things.
Several neuroscientists believe Neuralink is putting on a show called Neuroscience Theatre.
Scientists are concerned even though it is just 2022. Researchers and academics told
The Daily Beast that Musk's goal of connecting human brains to computers is terrifying them.
Finally, the integration of Big Tech into the human mind is at the root of their apprehension.
Horror, dismay, and intrigue abound as the future approaches faster than we
can predict or control. The brain chip company founded by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk
is prepared to begin human clinical trials. The internet is already mostly uncontrolled,
thanks to BigTech businesses that are too large to be regulated. They're behaving
like utilities while scaling rapidly at a rate that's devouring smaller businesses.
Alarm bells should be ringing among academics. Scientists are concerned about the company's
governance, the potential impact on trial participants, and whether society has adequately
considered the risks associated with combining Big Tech and human brains. One of the most important
races in Artificial Intelligence is the race to create a global BCI because it affects our
humanity's future. Although Musk likes to talk about his futuristic vision for the technology,
it has a lot of potential medical applications in the near future. Since going public in 2017,
Neuralink has demonstrated its brain implant in pigs and monkeys but has yet to begin
the long-awaited human trials. Now it's only a matter of time. Is this really who we want to be?
The implant is shaped like a coin and has electrodes studded on thin, flexible wires.
The cables are the key difference between it and older brain-machine interfaces,
which use stiffer needles that might harm brain cells. Musk, the world's richest man with an
estimated fortune of $250 billion, expressed cautious optimism last month that the implants
could allow tetraplegics to walk. Realistically, Musk says a lot of things, most of which are
exaggerated comments about his businesses. Before the business can receive FDA permission for broad
medical use, it must conduct human trials, which is critical for Musk's stated goal of using the
devices to cure a variety of neurological issues, from memory loss to addiction.
We hope you're ready for the video game addiction implant in 2032!
We, as a culture, adore Elon Musk to the extent where we would nearly embrace any of
his businesses. The existence of Neuralink was first made public in 2017 when the Wall Street
Journal reported on it. The company's first significant public appearance was in 2019,
when Elon Musk and other members of the management team gave a live-streamed presentation
showcasing Neuralink's concepts. You must dress up as one of the first humans to set foot on Mars
or use a Neuralink device. They will be Elon Musk's future forerunners.
Last July, the startup received $205 million in Series C capital from Vy Capital,
a Dubai-based investment group. Former Y Combinator president Sam Altman,
Coinbase co-founder Fred Ehrsam, and PayPal co-founder Ken Howery
were among the individual investors. Crunchbase reports that it has raised $363 million to date.
According to several specialists in the field of BCIs, Neuralink is using "outdated" technology.
Nevertheless, Elon Musk provided some Neuralink updates, including the fact
that the firm is still on target to begin human trials by the end of 2022.
Musk stated in February 2021 that Neuralink was working "very hard" to make its brain implant
safe. He also indicated that Neuralink was in close contact with the FDA and that human
trials would begin later that year. However, the year 2021 went by without any human trials.
Neuralink hired a Clinical Trial Director and a Clinical Trial Coordinator earlier this year,
indicating that the business is getting closer to testing its gadget on humans.
Musk recently mentioned that Neuralink might be able to help people with severe obesity. Musk
brought up the subject for the first time in his TED talk with Chris Anderson. Within the following
decade, he assured Anderson, Neuralink would focus on addressing brain and spinal ailments.
Elon Musk responded to a Teslarati article by saying,
"We're working on bridging broken links between brain & body.
Neuralinks in motor & Sensory cortex riding past weak/broken links in neck/spine
to Neuralinks in spinal cord should theoretically be able to restore full body functionality."
Musk also told Anderson that in the long run, the Neuralink device might help with health issues
like morbid obesity. Musk's statements regarding Neuralink are plausible,
according to Professor Andrew Jackson of Newcastle University, who is an expert in brain interfaces.
Neuralink implants, according to Jackson, are less intrusive than previous morbid obesity treatments.