Elon Musk’s Neuralink wants to start operating on human brains next year

By Trevor Mogg — Posted on July 17, 2019 12:50AM PST

Proving that his brain can still generate grand ideas, the man responsible for Tesla, SpaceX, and the Boring Company took to a San Francisco stage on Tuesday evening, July 16, to shed some light on Neuralink, an outfit launched by Elon Musk in 2016 aimed at developing “ultra-high bandwidth brain-machine interfaces to connect humans and computers.”

The billionaire entrepreneur had, until now, revealed little about Neuralink, but at the special event, he said its main goals were to understand and treat brain disorders, and also to “preserve and enhance your own brain” to keep pace with artificial intelligence (A.I.).

Musk said Neuralink is already developing a system for people suffering paralysis that will allow actions to be performed just by thinking about them. It means, for example, that those unable to move their limbs would be able to control devices such as smartphones and computers simply with thoughts.

Musk said Neuralink is seeking approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to start human trials as early as 2020.

Notably, its technology uses a highly intricate, custom-built robot capable of performing procedures — under the direction of a neurosurgeon — with far more precision and much less risk than existing methods, with operations able to take place under local anesthetic.

During an operation, implants for transferring thoughts to control devices would be inserted by the robot into the brain via an 8mm hole laser-drilled into the patient’s skull. Part of the procedure also involves inserting numerous information-transmitting “threads” connected to the implant. The super-thin threads are an advancement on current electrodes as they’re flexible, thinner, less likely to damage brain tissue, and can transmit much more information.

The implants connect with a wearable computing device called The Link that’s placed behind the patient’s ear. This makes it easy to apply software or firmware updates, the team said.

Max Hodak, president of Neuralink, acknowledged that researchers around the world have for many years been developing similar systems that interact with the brain — to ease conditions such as Parkinson’s disease — but said his team’s technology is a big step forward in terms of sophistication and safety.

Let’s merge with A.I.!

Musk admitted that while he believes the immediate aim of tackling brain conditions should be achievable relatively soon, Neuralink’s grander goals may take a while.

“Getting FDA approval for a device of any kind if quite difficult,” he told the audience. “This will be a slow process where we gradually increase the issues that we solve, until ultimately we can do a full brain-machine interface, meaning that we can ultimately — this is going to sound pretty weird — achieve a sort of symbiosis with A.I.”

Yes, Musk envisions a day when we’ll be able to merge with A.I., though, he noted with a smile, “It won’t be mandatory, you can choose.”

Musk said that looking at the project as a whole, Neuralink initially wants to solve a bunch of brain-related diseases and conditions before “mitigating the existential threat of A.I.,” adding, “This is the point of it.”

Robot uprising?

Before now, Musk has spoken on a number of occasions about what he believes are the dangers of A.I., saying it could even pose a threat to humanity if we fail to develop it responsibly and with care. One of his concerns is that A.I. could become so intelligent that we end up becoming like a “house cat” to the powerful technology. Therefore, creating a brain-machine interface would allow us to develop with the technology, allowing humans to maintain control.

It may all sound a bit bonkers to some observers, but don’t forget, steam trains, space travel, and flushing toilets would’ve also sounded a bit off-the-wall to folks who lived before those things existed. So, when it comes to Neuralink, let’s stand by and monitor developments.

https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/elon-musks-neuralink-wants-to-start-operating-on-human-brains-next-year/

1 of 2

>>7289224

6 questions we have about Elon Musk’s Neuralink brain interface technology

By Mathew Katz — Posted on July 17, 2019 1:47PM PST

Not satisfied with SpaceX and Tesla, Elon Musk shed light on Neuralink, his brain interface company that wants to develop “ultra-high bandwidth brain-machine interfaces to connect humans and computers.”

During a livestream Tuesday night, Musk explained that he hoped Neuralink could help treat brain disorders, preserve and enhance human brains, and eventually merge humans with artificial intelligence. The company is already working on a system that would allow paralyzed people to control artificial limbs using just their thoughts.

All of this relies on brain surgery — the company wants to implant a small computer called The Link behind a person’s ear in order to use the neural interface. Musk said he wants approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for human trials as early as 2020.

While Neuralink does sound like an exciting leap forward for human-computer relations, brain implants raise the specter of Black Mirror–esque privacy invasions and horror. We’ve got a few questions about how this would work – and if it’s even a good idea.

WHO OWNS YOUR BRAIN DATA?

When it comes to private data, some of Silicon Valley’s biggest tech companies don’t have the best track record. Would Neuralink have access to your brain waves and any information that makes you unique if you’re using their neurological device? Could they sell that information to third parties? Is there any way to make sure your data stays local or would all of these devices need to connect to a cloud server?

All of this raises some fundamental concerns about your most private thoughts — and governments might have to step in with regulations quickly to prevent this technology from being abused.

HOW IS YOUR BRAIN PROTECTED?

If you have a brain implant, what stops it from being hacked? Almost any piece of hardware or software has vulnerabilities and hackers have been known to exploit them given half a chance. We’d love to know how Neuralink will protect people’s brain implants (and other devices, such as artificial limbs) from intrusion. It’s not just hackers reading your thoughts — what if a hacker can cause The Link implant to overheat or explode?

WHAT KIND OF LEARNING CURVE WILL THERE BE?

Everyone’s brain is different, so don’t expect learning how to control an artificial limb or phone with your mind to be something you can pick up easily. We don’t know if The Link will be plug and play or if it needs some kind of ramping-up period. Will the technology be better suited to some people’s brains than others? Will there be some kind of universal tutorial for using the device, or will there need to be specialized one-on-one instruction?

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE LINK STOPS WORKING?

Musk said the Link could initially be installed by a custom-built robot under a local anesthetic. That sounds relatively simple (for brain surgery) — but if your brain implant stops working, do you need another round of surgery to replace it? Will that surgery cost extra? If the cost is prohibitive, someone might be stuck with a faulty link in their brain until they can afford to pay for a new one.

HOW DOES THE DEVICE INTERPRET INTRUSIVE, UNWANTED, OR IRRELEVANT THOUGHTS?

We all have nagging thoughts we can’t control — our anxieties and fears, or even a song that’s stuck in your head. How will Neuralink’s technology interpret those thoughts? Could you theoretically lose control of a limb or accidentally start playing a song on your phone if the wrong thought crosses your mind?

DO YOU REALLY WANT TO GIVE ELON MUSK ACCESS TO YOUR BRAIN?

Despite being a billionaire mogul, Musk has made more than a few questionable decisions in the past. His 2018 tweet about taking Tesla private for $420 a share eventually led to him paying a $20 million fine to the Securities and Exchange Commission and stepping down as the company’s chairman — all over the impact the tweet had on the stock market. He got into a public spat with the British diver who helped rescue a group of boys trapped in a cave in Thailand. Buying Musk’s cars is one thing — giving him access to your brain comes with significantly more risks.

Of course, handing your brain over to any tech company will come with a whole slew of ramifications we haven’t even thought of yet. So while we’re excited about this technology, it’s prudent to be cautious as Silicon Valley starts poking and prodding at our brains.

https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/neuralink-elon-musk-questions/

2 of 2

Transformation complete.