Elon Musk announced yesterday that the first human had received a Neuralink brain implant and was recovering well.
The FDA gave the company the go-ahead last year for human trials of its brain-machine implants. Neuralink opened applications for people who wanted to participate in the study, which involves placing a small, cosmetically invisible implant in a part of the brain that plans movements.
The initial focus is on people who have “limited or no ability to use both hands due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).”
Musk says the implant, now dubbed Telepathy, can “enable control of your phone or computer, and through them almost any device, just by thinking.” And with those words, we get closer to the long-term goal Musk has for Neuralink implants.
Neuralink’s stated mission is to “Create a generalized brain interface to restore autonomy to those with unmet medical needs today and unlock human potential tomorrow.”
Check out our latest video to learn more about our PRIME Study! 🧠📱 pic.twitter.com/7zTMFzdZsF
— Neuralink (@neuralink) November 22, 2023
Musk has previously stated that using brain-machine interfaces (BMI) to merge with AI is essential for humans to survive in a future of superintelligent machines.
While the ‘merging’ that Musk envisions may be some way off, there is merit in using a BMI to leverage the power of AI.
Computers and personal communication devices communicate a lot faster than we can. The flow of information from human to machine is painfully slow. We have to type words into a prompt, or, at best, speak them.
Neuralink aims to create a general-purpose, high-bandwidth interface to the brain so that our intentions can be communicated between ourselves and the technology we’ve created a lot faster.
Neuralink’s earlier trials using monkeys are a good example of the multiplier effect a brain implant like Telepathy could one day bring to humans.
The video below shows a monkey with a wireless brain implant trained to move a spot onto a square. Initially it uses a controller and receives a treat when successful. At the 1:39 point, the monkey thinks it’s using the controller, now unplugged, but it’s controlling the spot using the implant.
Towards the end of the video, the monkey shows off some pro-level skills at playing Pong. If the implant could enable a monkey to do that, what could it enable a human to do? Musk said, “Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a speed typist or auctioneer. That is the goal.”
With Neuralink, Musk intends to take the ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’ approach to a future in which he sees the inevitability of humans eventually being outsmarted by AI. The significant technological challenges of an AI-human mindmeld may well be eclipsed by the ethical ones.
No further information was made available about the first human to receive the Neuralink implant, other than Musk saying that “initial results show promising neuron spike detection.”
If a device like Telepathy can enable a paralyzed person to communicate, that will be incredible.
If it eventually sees us merging with artificial intelligence, that will be equal parts terrifying and intriguing.
Elon Musk ametoa taarifa kuwa mtu wa kwanza kupokea kiungo cha ubongo cha Neuralink na kuwa anaendelea vizuri. Mwaka jana, FDA ilitoa idhini ya kampuni hiyo ya kufanya majaribio ya binadamu ya vifaa vya ubongo. Neuralink imefungua maombi kwa watu ambao wanataka kushiriki katika utafiti huo, ambao unahusisha kuweka implant ndogo, isiyoonekana kwa vipodozi katika sehemu ya ubongo ambayo hupanga harakati. "Mask anasema implant hiyo, ambayo sasa inaitwa Telepathy, inaweza ""kuwezesha udhibiti wa simu yako au kompyuta, na kupitia wao karibu kifaa chochote, kwa kufikiri tu.""" Neuralink's stated mission is to <unk>Create a generalized brain interface to restore autonomy to those with unmet medical needs today and unlock human potential tomorrow.<unk> Check out our latest video to learn more about our PRIME Study! "Mask alisema hivi karibuni kwamba ""kutumia kiunganishi cha ubongo na mashine (BMI) kuunganisha na AI ni muhimu kwa wanadamu kuishi katika siku zijazo za mashine zenye akili kubwa.""" Wakati "kuunganishwa" kwamba Musk anafikiria inaweza kuwa njia fulani mbali, kuna sifa katika kutumia BMI kuimarisha nguvu ya AI. Kompyuta na vifaa vya mawasiliano ya kibinafsi huwasiliana haraka zaidi kuliko tunavyoweza. Mtiririko wa habari kutoka kwa mwanadamu hadi kwa mashine ni polepole sana. Lazima tuchape maneno katika mwongozo, au, kwa vyovyote vile, tuseme. Neuralink ina lengo la kuunda lengo la jumla, high-bandwidth interface kwa ubongo ili nia zetu zinaweza kuwasiliana kati yetu wenyewe na teknolojia tumeunda mengi kwa kasi zaidi. Majaribio ya awali ya Neuralink kwa kutumia nyani ni mfano mzuri wa athari ya kuzidisha ambayo upandikizaji wa ubongo kama Telepathy siku moja unaweza kuleta kwa wanadamu. Video iliyo hapa chini inaonyesha nyani mwenye kiungo cha ubongo kisicho na waya aliyezoezwa kuhamisha sehemu moja kwenye mraba. Mwanzoni hutumia mtawala na hupokea karamu inapofanikiwa. Katika hatua ya 1:39, nyani anafikiri ni kutumia udhibiti, sasa unplugged, lakini ni kudhibiti sehemu kwa kutumia implant. Kuelekea mwisho wa video, nyani anaonyesha baadhi ya ujuzi wa kiwango cha kitaalamu katika kucheza Pong. Ikiwa kiungo hicho kingeweza kuwezesha nyani kufanya hivyo, kingeweza kumwezesha mwanadamu kufanya nini? Musk alisema, "Hebu wazia kama Stephen Hawking angeweza kuwasiliana haraka kuliko typist wa kasi au mnada. "Kwa Neuralink, Musk anakusudia kuchukua ""kama huwezi kuwapiga, wajiunge nao"" mbinu kwa siku zijazo ambapo anaona kutoepukika kwa wanadamu hatimaye kuwa outsmarted na AI." Matatizo makubwa ya kiteknolojia ya akili ya AI-binadamu yanaweza kuangushwa na yale ya maadili. "Hakuna habari zaidi iliyotolewa kuhusu binadamu wa kwanza kupokea implant ya Neuralink, isipokuwa Musk akisema kwamba ""matokeo ya awali yanaonyesha kugundua spike ya neuroni ya kuahidi"" - ikiwa kifaa kama Telepathy kinaweza kuwezesha mtu aliye na kupooza kuwasiliana, hiyo itakuwa ya kushangaza." Ikiwa hatimaye itatuona tukijiunga na akili bandia, hiyo itakuwa sehemu sawa ya kutisha na ya kuvutia.