Elon Musk’s next big thing has finally been revealed. Neuralink, Musk’s latest venture, aims to connect human brains with computers in order to allow humans to keep up with advancements in artificial intelligence. The company’s website describes the service as neural lace technology that will link human brains directly to digital devices. If successful, this development could have major implications on the way humans interact with machines, including virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa as well as other electronic devices like appliances and vehicles. Neuralink also hopes to treat neurological disorders such as depression and chronic pain through its technology.
Elon Musk is trying to link brains with computers
The billionaire tech mogul and founder of SpaceX, Tesla and Neuralink has said he wants to link brains with computers. Speaking at Recode’s Code Conference in 2016, Musk said We are already a cyborg. You have a digital tertiary layer. The CEO continued by saying You think of it as being a tool that enhances us, but really it is removing barriers.
How exactly will this be possible?
We are already cyborgs, he says. You have a digital tertiary layer in the form of your smartphone, your computer, your iPad, or whatever. In fact, we already have all sorts of wires going into our brains -– from cochlear implants to deep brain stimulation for Parkinson’s disease patients. We’re already a hybrid of biological intelligence and digital intelligence, Musk says.
Will it actually work?
The technology is likely many years away from being implemented in humans, but what about for other species? Neuralink is gearing up to test its brain-machine interface on rats. What does a rat brain have in common with a human one? More than you’d think. Each of these two mammal brains has a similar number of neurons and comparable neural signals at work. So why not give it a shot?
The research underway
Neuralink is a brain-computer interface startup founded by Elon Musk in 2016. The company aims to make brain-machine interfaces that could eventually be used to treat serious brain diseases, as well as improve cognitive function in healthy people, reports CNBC.
What should you do with this information?
If you’re curious about what Elon Musk has up his sleeve next, now you can find out with a simple Google search. The news outlets have made their headlines, but they haven’t laid out exactly what Neuralink is and how it works.
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