The difference between Elon Musk and most other people is that when Elon Musk sees a problem, he takes it upon himself to fix it. Energy. Transportation. Space travel. Even traffic congestion in Los Angeles. So when Musk made comments recently that he was concerned about the threat that Artificial Intelligence poses to humanity it was only a matter of time before he would decide to do something about it the only way he knows how: by starting a company to tackle the problem head on.
It’s with that in mind (pun intended) that we say hello to Musk’s latest venture: Neuralink, a company that will try to develop a computer-brain interface, similar to the fictional Neural Lace that Musk has made reference to, so that humans can keep pace with the capabilities of Artificial Intelligence.
As the Verge puts it:
“These types of brain-computer interfaces exist today only in science fiction. In the medical realm, electrode arrays and other implants have been used to help ameliorate the effects of Parkinson’s, epilepsy, and other neurodegenerative diseases. However, very few people on the planet have complex implants placed inside their skulls, while the number of patients with very basic stimulating devices number only in the tens of thousands. This is partly because it is incredibly dangerous and invasive to operate on the human brain, and only those who have exhausted every other medical option choose to undergo such surgery as a last resort. This has not stopped a surge in Silicon Valley interest from tech industry futurists who are interested in accelerating the advancement of these types of far-off ideas. Kernel, a startup created by Braintree co-founder Bryan Johnson, is also trying to enhance human cognition.”
The ultimate goal is to get to the point where we can figure out a way to augment human potential. A neural link or neural lace could enable its user to access the internet just by thinking about it, extend the capabilities of their memory, allow them to control an exoskeleton, or even self-diagnosis medical issues as they arise throughout the body. It’s essentially a modern day spin on the old adage: if you can’t beat them, join them. One that could very well be necessary if we want to avoid becoming enslaves by our robot overlords.
On the other hand there’s still so much about the brain that we don’t understand, the technology is still in its infancy, and most healthy people aren’t exactly going to being lining up for risky elective brain surgery no matter the potential reward. This is definitely one technology where you’re not going to want to be an early adopter.
But if there’s anyone who can overcome those stigmas and hurdles it’s Musk. At least, that is, until he turns his attention to something else that needs fixing.
Is Neuralink the Greatest Idea Ever?
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