Elon Musk claims his startup Neuralink has linked a chip to the brain of a monkey that the primate now uses to play video games with his mind.
Musk said Neuralink is currently developing brain implants that help people with paralysis control devices with their minds.
He added that the technology could also enable people to communicate through their minds or save their brain condition, allowing it to die to a different body than theirs.
The Tesla tycoon provided the rare update of Neuralink during a Sunday appearance in the inviting clubhouse app.
[Read: How this company leveraged AI to become the Netflix of Finland]
He described the device as “a Fitbit in your skull with small wires going to your brain.”
We already have a monkey with a wireless implant in their skull and the little wires that can play video games with his mind.
If you’re worried about the poor animal with cables sticking in his brain, Musk promised ‘he’s a happy monkey’.
He said an inspector from the U.S. Department of Agriculture called the lab “the most beautiful monkey facility she’s ever seen in her career.”
The world’s richest person now wants the Simian ‘mind-pong to play with each other’.
He also invited anyone who worked on advanced wear, phones or robots to apply to Neuralink.
Consider working at Neuralink!
Short term: fix brain / spine injuries
Long-term: human / AI symbiosisLast will species level be important
Work at our Bay Area or Austin locations https://t.co/LPzDrWO8h3
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 31 January 2021
Slow down the hype train
Neuralink’s tests have so far been limited to pigs and primates, but that has not stopped Musk from speculating about the potential for humans:
If two people had a Neuralink, you can do conceptual telepathy, where you have a complex set of concepts and you can transmit them directly, uncompressed to the other person. This will significantly improve the quality of communication and its speed. There are still many wild things that can be done. You can probably save the condition in the brain, and if you were to die, your condition could be returned to another human body or a robotic body.
Musk added that Neuralink has already successfully tested implantation, removal and reimplantation. He said the company is likely to release new videos soon showing its progress.
But Musk’s claims must be accepted with a big pinch of salt for now.
The SpaceX founder earlier promised to have a million robo-taxis on the road by 2020. His recent Neuralink demo also did not live up to the hype.
Neuralink was one of the many topics Musk addressed during his 90-minute Questions and Answers at Clubhouse. Except for monkeys, he reflected on Mars, memes and meetings.
He also spoke to Robinhood CEO about the app’s controversial decision to eliminate gaming for GameStop.
If you want to hear about Space Karen’s plans to build your cars, put chips in your brain and take you to Mars, you can catch the conversation on YouTube.
Posted on February 1, 2021 – 17:47 UTC