According to a recent post by Elon Musk on Twitter, we learned that Neuralink, the company developing brain-computer interfaces founded in 2016, will have a new update on August 28. In case you didn’t know, this will be a tool to help humans keep up with the processing speed of computers through a chip implanted directly into the brain. It’s been over a year since we received the last update on the Neuralink project; last year, they announced plans to use a device similar to a sewing machine to connect organic brains and artificial brains into a unified system.
Researchers have successfully tested Neuralink technology on rats and even primates. In last year’s update, Neuralink planned the first human trials to take place in 2020, giving us hope to see research results on August 28.
Co-founded by Elon Musk and led by Jared Birchall, Neuralink’s initial goal is to help patients with neurological conditions and loss of motor function, allowing them to regain normalcy in their daily lives with an “extra brain” inside their own. The ultimate aim of Neuralink is to “upgrade humanity,” enhancing the flow of human thought through a brain-computer interface.
Musk has repeatedly pointed out the limitations of transmitting data from the brain to computers via keyboards and mice, suggesting that a direct brain-machine interface would enhance the signal transmission, both input and output, allowing human intelligence to surpass its current limits. He has also consistently highlighted the dangers of artificial intelligence, arguing that a system like Neuralink could prevent machines from surpassing humans and officially becoming a threat to human survival.
We will have to wait over a month to find out what Neuralink has achieved over the past year.