By Elon Musk Expects a Future Where Millions of People Will Get Neuralink Brain Chips
Elon Musk hopes to implant millions of Neuralink chips into people’s brains over the next decade, the tech billionaire has said.
Update about the second Neuralink device in a human.
If all goes well, there will be hundreds of people with Neuralinks within a few years, maybe tens of thousands within 5 years, millions within 10 years, … https://t.co/opy1xj5JgF
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 22, 2024
The Neuralink chief executive announced his plans following an update from the neurotech startup that revealed new capabilities of its brain-computer interface.
According to the firm, the second patient to be fitted with the device was able to use it to play first-person shooter games and design three-dimensional objects.
If all goes well, there will be hundreds of people with Neuralinks within a few years, maybe tens of thousands within five years, millions within 10 years,” Mr Musk wrote on X in response to Neuralink’s blog post.
Neuralink said that the latest participant in its first ever human study of the technology was able to perform new tasks using their thoughts, such as designing 3D objects using computer-aided design (CAD) software.
The participant was able to design and print a custom mount for his Neuralink charger using the brain-computer interface, a process that was impossible with the assistive technologies he had previously used.
He was also able to play a first-person video game that typically requires two separate joysticks to control the character.
“Just running around is enjoyable because I can look side to side,” he said. “I can [think about where to] look and it goes where I want it to. It’s insane.”
The Prime study has focussed on people with quadriplegia, though Mr Musk claims the technology will one day allow humans to merge with artificial intelligence in order to augment brain and body performance.
Neuralink said it now plans to add improved functionality to the brain implants used in the human trials, developing new algorithms that can recognise handwriting intent in order to enable faster text entry.
“Additionally, we plan to enable the Link to interact with the physical world, allowing users to feed themselves and move more independently by controlling a robotic arm or their wheelchair.”
