What Will Elon Musk’s Neuralink Change?

A few years ago, Artificial Intelligence applications, such as robots and autonomous cars, were just a figment of the imagination of most Science Fiction filmmakers and writers. But today, artificially intelligent machines can think and act like humans. Soon, we may have AI-human hybrids, thanks to Elon Musk’s Neuralink Project. Although the emergence of AI-Human hybrids may seem like another Science Fiction imagination, Elon Musk believes that with brain-computer interfaces, developing AI-human hybrids could be possible.

Elon Musk’s Neuralink project aims to develop a chip that can be implanted in the human brain. The chip can pick up brain signals and convert them to motor controls, eventually changing how humans interact with machines. According to Musk, a breakthrough in developing a human-AI symbiosis through the Neuralink project can help resolve neural and mobility challenges such as hearing and eyesight problems, restore limp’s functions and help people with Parkinson’s disease conditions. Moreover, Musk believes that the chips, which he refers to as “kind of like a Fitbit in your skull with tiny wires”, could help people with neurological challenges control devices such as computers, mobile phones, and machines using their brains. Additionally, according to Musk on a webcast, Neuralink Project’s long-term aim would be to usher in the “super-cognition” era, an era that would help combat the impacts of Artificial Intelligence, a technology that is threatening to overshadow humans.

However, Musk’s Neuralink Project success faces various obstacles. The company faces bureaucratic, ethical, and technological hurdles to cross. It can take longer than expected before a human-AI symbiosis can be achieved because intensive clinical trials will be required. Healthy people will have to be persuaded to get the chip implanted in their skull. The devices will have to be approved before they can be used on humans. Although these challenges may slow down the project, the successful development of the brain-computer interface will be one of the most important technological breakthroughs in human history.