Neuralink, founded by innovator and entrepreneur Elon Musk, is on a mission to revolutionize the way human minds interact with computers. By developing a brain-computer interface (BCI) consisting of tiny implants and electrodes thinner than a human hair, Neuralink looks to bridge the gap between humans and technological advancements — a dream many of us can only marvel at.
The brain-computer interface developed by Neuralink is composed of over 3000 electrodes attached to flexible threads to record the activity of various neurons in the brain. While this technology was initially developed to help people with conditions like Locked-in Syndrome and spinal injuries to communicate and feel again, Tesla’s Musk has had his grand ambitions to make it available for human telepathy, super vision and potentially winning a war against artificial intelligence.
While Neurolink has certainly provided a revolutionary bridge between humans and technology, it has also lead to much discussion around the ethical concerns that come with this new technology. For example, BCIs are being used to record the intended movements of people, very much like the ultimate mind-reading tool. Also, there are fears about the potential for BCIs to be abused for the purposes of surveillance or mind control.
Giocomo Valle, a neural engineer at the University of Chicago, explains that the amount of information that can be decoded from the brain is very limited and that although it might be hard to imagine it in this lifetime, it is still an area fraught with ethical considerations.
Juan Alvaro Gallego is also less than optimistic in his appraisal of the technology’s potential and forward capabilities, pointing to the tremendous difficulty scientists are having in understanding the neuroscience behind thoughts in order to even begin to interpret them.
Though Elon Musk’s vision falls far short of what science fiction dreams it to be, the clinical applications of BCI technology have not gone unnoticed. For example, Nathan Copeland, who was left paralyzed after a car accident, was able to feel again after BCIs were implanted into his sensory cortex and linked with sensors on a robotic hand. Such technology also holds promise for teaching people with paralysis how to control bionic limbs.
Additionally, BCIs have been used in deep brain stimulation to help people with movement disorders like Parkinson’s disease for decades.
Most of the medical settings for BCI are still in their research stages and are yet to be implemented in clinical practices. Moreover, its surgical procedure is associated with major safety concerns and potential for infection or device rejection. With these things in mind, there is the need for cross-disciplinary discussion to ensure the responsible use of this technology.
Brain-computer interfaces are offering to bridge the gap between human and technology and open up new possibilities of research into the functioning of the human mind, but the implications of its ethical considerations must not be taken lightly or discounted at any time.
