On January 28, 2024, Neuralink, a neurotechnology company owned by Elon Musk, placed its first electronic chip into a human brain. Elon Musk announced on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that the subject of the operation is “recovering well” and that “Initial results show promising neuron spike detection.” Musk also stated that the first users of Neuralink’s new technology would be those without the use of their limbs. “Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a speed typist or auctioneer. That is the goal,” he added.
This statement shows potential for Neuralink, however with little information from the company or its owner there is much to be desired in the way of knowledge regarding Neuralink’s advancements.
All has not been well for Musk’s neurotechnology company though since the US Department of Agriculture is currently investigating Neuralink for animal welfare violations during the company’s testing of its technology. In May 2023 the Federal Drug Administration permitted Neuralink to test their brain chip on humans. Neuralink says its mission is to “Create a generalized brain interface to restore autonomy to those with unmet medical needs today and unlock human potential tomorrow.” They aim to achieve this by creating brain-computer interfaces with implants that are capable of controlling an electronic device such as a phone anywhere. Musk announced on the 29th that Neuralink’s first product would be called Telepathy. He also believes that Neuralink will be able to combine human intelligence and artificial intelligence.
When asked his opinion on Neuralink’s advancements, freshman Brandon Gobea expressed excitement, saying “Me next.”
However, not everyone seems to agree that Musk’s company is good as Alex Vaidyan puts it, “It can kill us.” and student Tanmay Gupta says, “It’s not good to put machinery in someone’s brain.”
Despite Neuralink being a fairly new company, being founded in 2016, it has made history as the first company to successfully implant a chip in a human brain.
