Neuralink's Brain-Computer Interface

Elon Musk announced his plans for his Neuralink Corporation and their new implantable Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) which will be capable of recording the activity, or spikes, of thousands of neurons in the brain. Musk stated that their initial goal is to use these BCI devices to help people with quadriplegia to help them control smart devices using solely their thoughts. They would also like to record and stimulate spikes in neurons, as well as write signals back to neurons that could provide sensory (e.g. touch or visual) feedback to the retina to help blind individuals. Furthermore, these BCI’s have the potential to restore neurological function for, “people with spinal cord injury, stroke, [amyotrophic lateral sclerosis], traumatic brain injury, or other diseases or injuries of the nervous system (Lewis, 2019).” However, Musk also has much loftier goals, stating that he envisions this as a stepping stone to fully achieving “symbiosis with artificial intelligence” and provide people with super human intelligence (Russo, 2019).

Neuralink’s BCI device is still far away from achieving the more sci-fi fantasy goals of Musk but has shown promising results and progress in developing the flexible materials for electrodes needed to record and send information to and from neurons and miniaturizing the electronics within the integrated circuit tech needed for this type of implantable device (Lewis, 2019). Currently, this BCI has only been clinically tested on rats and monkeys, but Musk stated that Neuralink plans on conducting human testing by late 2020. However, the testing and research of this new BCI is not currently peer reviewed and Neuralink will face several hurdles before they are able to gain the necessary approval from the FDA to begin clinical human trials.  

Currently, the device is implanted in the cortex with the help of a surgical robot. The electrodes which record the spikes in neurons are all packaged on a small device a little larger than a penny. While the device currently connects to other devices through a USB port outside the brain, both Musk and Neuralink are making progress to developing a completely wireless BCI implant. Furthermore, Musk stated that he wanted this device to be widely available, not solely for individuals with neurological diseases. He believes that we are on the verge of having these BCI's implanted through minimally invasive procedures similar to Lasik eye procedures. While the technological capabilities are still in their initial phases, this type of digital and physical integration may be possible in the very near future.

I believe these BCI devices and the thought of symbiosis with AI is a fascinating subject and potentially the next major step for technology and the merging of the physical and digital spaces. However, I think there are several ethical issues related to this type of implantable computer interface. While I believe this type of device is extremely exciting and the potential it has to improve the quality of life of people who suffer from all types of neural degenerative diseases, our society still needs to become more knowledgeable and have more foresight about the potential implications these types of implantable BCI’s could have in the future. I think a major issue regarding this new tech is the security and privacy of the individuals who have these implants. Who will own all of their recorded data and thoughts? How secure are these types of devices if they will be connected wirelessly and can connect to any type of smart device or computer? How can we make companies accountable for what they do with the type of data that can be recorded from these devices?

Although I am fascinated by the potential these BCI’s have on improving the quality of life for potentially everyone, I believe both the companies and individuals creating these implantable devices must be extremely transparent about their intentions and the potential issues that may develop with this cutting-edge technology. Additionally, I believe that as potential consumers of this future tech it is crucial that we individually become even more critical of the potential risks that are involved with fully integrated and implantable technology. Furthermore, the exponential growth related to this type of technology is exciting but very frightening at the same time. How do we as society regulate, secure, and control these implantable devices if they continue to grow and improve at an exponential rate that regulation and public policy cannot contend with?

[CNET]. (2019, July 16). Watch Elon Musk’s Neuralink presentation [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA77zsJ31nA

 Lewis, T. (2019, July 17). Elon Musk's Secretive Brain Tech Company Debuts a Sophisticated Neural Implant. Retrieved from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/elon-musks-secretive-brain-tech-company-debuts-a-sophisticated-neural-implant1/

 Russo, C. (2019, July 17). How Elon Musk's Neuralink Plans to Unify the Brain with AI. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-future-brain/201907/how-elon-musks-neuralink-plans-unify-the-brain-ai