After he announced the first brain chip implantation in a patient conducted by the startup company Neuralink, which he co-founded, many questions were raised about Elon Musk's chip and how it could change the world.
The chip, which Neuralink began developing in 2016, promised to change the lives of people with disabilities that prevent them from moving or communicating.
Here are some of the ways in which Musk's brain chip can change the lives of millions of patients, according to a report published by the British newspaper "The Telegraph".
Control of devices and computers
Little is known about the identity of Neuralink's first patient, but the company's clinical trial was aimed at those who were quadriplegic due to a spinal injury or advanced motor neuron disease.
The American billionaire revealed that the first product of the chip will be called “Telepathy,” as it allows its owner to control his phone or computer, and through them almost any device, just by thinking.
Helping the blind
Musk also claimed that another future use of the chip could be to give sight to those who suffer from it.
He called this technology “BlindSight,” noting that the chip could send “direct vision to the brain” by stimulating the visual parts of the cortex, creating a mental image of the world in front of the patient.
Helping people with disabilities to walk
In 2021, Musk expects Neuralink to be able to “restore full-body function to someone with a spinal cord injury.”
While the company has not published any evidence to support this ambition, other scientists have made breakthroughs.
Epilepsy prevention
Musk has also speculated that brain implants could be used to control epileptic seizures. During an epileptic seizure, nerve cells in the brain release abnormal bursts of signals, causing an epileptic seizure.
Scientists have conducted experiments to see if brain implants can predict these signals, allowing patients to prevent drug use, or even counteract it entirely using electrical impulses.
Video games
In parallel, during one of the early demonstrations of this technology, Musk's company showed a monkey playing a video game using its brain signals.
The monkey was taught to play the game using a joystick, and was then rewarded with fruit juice. The joystick was then taken away, and the monkey was able to "think" about playing the game instead.
Enhancing human memory
Among Musk's more speculative and not entirely proven claims is using the chip to enhance human memory. In a video from 2020, he claimed she would be able to save and replay memories.
However, Dr Adam Rutherford, a lecturer in genetics at the University of California, described these claims as “absolute nonsense”.
Communicate ideas
The businessman also speculated that brain implants could allow humans to communicate using only their thoughts. Speaking to podcaster Joe Rogan, he claimed you "don't need to talk".
However, Musk admitted that such progress may take a long time. When pressed for a timeline, he said, "Five to ten years."
Living with artificial intelligence
As for Musk's most bizarre claims about the chip, it is linking the human brain to computers and the Internet to help coexist with artificial intelligence.
In 2019, the billionaire went so far as to claim that brain interfaces would allow “merging with artificial intelligence” so that humans could “achieve coexistence with artificial intelligence.”
He claims this will allow humans to increase their cognitive abilities to superhuman levels, on par with future artificial intelligence.
This is somewhat far from its more plausible goal of helping people with severe disabilities, a goal that regulators are unlikely to approve of for a human trial.