Elon Musk is currently implanting brain-computer interface chips to assist paralyzed individuals, but his long-term goal is to merge humanity with AI.
“The implant acts as a means to enhance your own brain, providing humans with the option to symbiotically coexist with artificial intelligence,” Elon Musk stated at a Neuralink event in July 2019. “The idea here is to create a suitable future to mitigate the existing threat of AI.”
According to VOX, this is an important statement from the American billionaire, showing that the co-founder of Neuralink aims not only to support patients with paralysis or mobility issues but wants Neuralink to achieve something greater.
“Musk is very skilled at building a reputation for the company, but he also creates extraordinary things that not everyone can accomplish,” said Anne Vanhoestenberghe, a professor of medical implant devices at King’s College London, to Telegraph.
Illustration of the Neuralink chip system attached to a patient’s head. (Photo: Tesla Space/YouTube).
Elon Musk’s Vision
Neuralink was co-founded by Musk in 2016 along with seven other members. At various events, he primarily emphasizes the ambition of uniting humans with machines.
“Over time, I think we may see a closer combination of biological intelligence and digital intelligence,” he said at the World Government Summit in February 2017 in Dubai. “It’s primarily about bandwidth, the connection speed between your brain and your digital self, especially in terms of output.”
Musk envisioned brain-computer interfaces could communicate at speeds of “one trillion bits per second.” Meanwhile, humans are limited by communication methods like speaking or signing, which operate at around 10 bits per second. “Some high-bandwidth interfaces to the brain will help achieve a symbiosis between human intelligence and machines while also addressing the issue of AI control,” Musk told CNBC in 2017.
The first person recognized worldwide to have machinery implanted in their brain was Neil Harbisson, who accepted an antenna in his skull in 2004. This system sends signals like electromagnetic radiation, phone calls, videos, or images converted into audible vibrations. The antenna, which also supports a Wi-Fi connection, allows Harbisson to receive signals and data from satellites. Musk did not mention Harbisson, but according to Dezeen, the billionaire’s statements indicate he wants to accomplish something larger, leading to the creation of Neuralink.
What Does Neuralink’s Brain Chip Offer?
According to information on Neuralink’s website, the brain-computer chip system is organized into 96 groups of fibers, with each group capable of housing up to 3,072 electrodes. Each fiber is smaller than 1/10 the size of a human hair and contains 192 electrodes. Each group of electrodes is wrapped in a small implant device containing a custom wireless chip, measuring 4 x 4 mm. The fibers are implanted individually into the brain “with micron-level precision” using a tiny needle at the end of a robot, with a diameter of 24 microns.
Description of Neuralink’s brain chip system. (Video: TechRadar/Neuralink).
According to Ashlee Vance, the author of Musk’s first biography published in 2015, Neuralink’s ultra-thin chip component currently consists of about 64 fiber groups. The fibers are thin enough to be only 1/14 the width of a human hair. When implanting the brain chip, doctors require several hours to perform a craniotomy, followed by 25 minutes for the robot to insert the device.
The implant works by recording information emitted from the neurons in the brain. The neurons connect to form a large network through synapses. At these connection points, neurons communicate with each other through chemical signals known as neurotransmitters, released in response to an electrical impulse called “action potential.”
When a neuron receives enough of the appropriate neurotransmitter, a chain reaction is triggered that causes “action potential” as the neurons relay messages to synapses. These potentials create an electric field that spreads from the neuron and can be detected by placing electrodes nearby, allowing the recording of information represented by the neuron. At the 2019 Neuralink event, Musk stated that up to 10 implants could be placed in one hemisphere of the brain.
Recently, Neuralink has been seeking volunteers. On September 19, 2023, the company was granted permission to test chip implants on paralyzed individuals. According to Vance, thousands of people have signed up to participate in the trials. The company then selected one individual to proceed with the brain chip implantation at the end of January. Musk reported that the patient is now progressing well and can move a computer mouse around the screen through thought.
“This allows control of phones, computers, and almost any device simply by thinking,” Musk wrote on X last month. “The initial users will be those who have lost the ability to use their limbs. Imagine Stephen Hawking being able to communicate even faster than a typist. That’s the goal.”
Neuralink released a video of a monkey named Pager playing games after having a brain chip implanted, without using traditional controllers, back in 2021.
Why Does Musk Want to Merge the Brain with AI?
According to VOX, Neuralink is the answer to a major fear: AI will dominate the world. This anxiety is spreading with the prospect of intelligent machines capable of deceiving humans and gaining control over the world. Last March, thousands of people, including Musk, signed a letter calling for a halt to the development of AI systems stronger than OpenAI’s GPT-4 for at least six months.
Musk is not the only one warning about AI, but experts believe the billionaire is taking concrete actions to mitigate risks. His basic plan is: If you cannot beat AI, join them.
In fact, from Musk’s perspective, a crucial part is the ability to think and communicate at the speed of AI. Musk is said to remain obsessed with the concept of bandwidth – the rate at which computers can read information from the human brain. This is also the idea that has driven him to accelerate research into Neuralink. The initial implant device from Neuralink was introduced with 1,024 electrodes, while now it has thousands of electrodes. According to Independent, the more electrodes there are, the more the system can “hear” from neurons, thereby receiving more data. This is precisely what Musk aims for in improving brain-computer data speed.
According to Hirobumi Watanabe, who previously led Neuralink’s vascular research team in 2018, the company’s obsession is to maximize bandwidth. “Neuralink’s goal is to create more electrodes, more bandwidth, so this interface can do more than what other technologies can achieve,” Watanabe told VOX.
Watanabe also noted that the ambition to seamlessly merge with machines could enable humans to do everything and possess the ability to remember indefinitely. “This creates the company’s dual mission: to create a general brain-computer interface to restore autonomy for today’s patients and unlock human potential for tomorrow,” Watanabe shared.
