Neuralink was co-founded by Elon Musk in 2016, it is a neurotechnology company that has been focused on developing chips that can be implanted in people’s brains. Elon Musk suggests that this chip can be used for medical reasons like restoring vision, helping those with paralysis gain mobility, helping with mental health and it can even let us control our phones with our minds.
How does it work?
The chip records and processes the electrical signals in the brain and sends this information via Bluetooth to the Neuralink application. According to the website, there are approximately 1000 electrodes across 64 threads to pick up the signals in the brain and because these are so delicate, they need to be surgically implanted by a robot. So, this tiny chip could give people the ability to control technology with their thoughts. This sounds like a Black Mirror episode but could soon be our reality as Neuralink has recently gained FDA approval to begin human trials.
While the hypothetical benefits of this chip are incredible, it is important to think about potential negative implications as many people are sceptical of this new technology. An article by Jumpstart highlights some of these repercussions for example, what would happen if someone could hack into your brain chip? Would they be able to control your mind? It seems crazy but due to the link between the brain and the computer, it could be a risk to think about.
It could increase the gap between the rich and poor as not everyone will be able to afford to have the chip implanted. This specific group of people would have an advantage over those who don’t have the chip, whether this is regained mobility or even other effects that have not been identified yet. Is it fair to have this technology only available to the wealthiest of society and will this just strengthen the class inequality we currently have?
In addition to this, Neuralink has also been investigated for violations of the Animal Welfare Act as the Guardian reports that roughly 1,500 animals were killed during their research. This has sparked a backlash among many animal rights groups as the alleged cruelty against animals was due to the Neuralink project being rushed.
Overall, Neuralink it not without its issues but the development of technology like this could be the start of an era of human enhancement. Although I am excited for the future that science and technology could bring us, I wonder if we will ever go too far into human technological enhancement and what the consequences of this will be.
All this thinking about the future of technology is making me hungry. Unfortunately, I can’t yet order a takeaway by using my brain, so I’ll have to do it on my phone. Now all I need is a brain chip that will help me decide what I want faster.
Pizza or sushi? Or…. Noodles?
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