Neuralink may test brain-computer interface on humans

Neuralink, a company owned by Elon Musk, has received FDA approval to test its brain implants in a human trial. The company’s goal is to develop a direct brain-computer interface. In the past, the company has repeatedly attracted attention for violations of regulations.

Brain-computer interface aims to help with disease

Brain-computer interfaces are being developed not only by Neuralink, but also by some serious companies and research institutions. The starting point of these applications is the fact that not merely actual behavior, but even the imagination of it, leads to measurable changes in electrical brain activity. These changes are – even if only intrapersonal – specific. This ultimately means that – assuming good pattern recognition – conclusions about a person’s thoughts can be drawn from electrical brain activity.

Brain-computer interfaces are being developed primarily for medical reasons. They are primarily intended to help people who find it significantly more difficult to interact with the outside world. An example of this is the so-called locked-in syndrome, in which affected persons are fully conscious but are subject to almost complete paralysis and thus cannot communicate either verbally or through gestures or facial expressions. The brain-computer interface would make this communication much easier for them: The computer could output their previously read thoughts and thus enable conversations.

Neuralink wants AI linking and more

Neuralink’s goals, in addition to its internal organization, make it distinctly different from other companies and research institutions working on brain-computer interfaces. While those focus on the medical field, Neuralink sees it as merely a first step toward a larger goal. Musk has stated several times in the past that Neuralink is ultimately aimed at human enhancement. Specifically, he envisions linking human brains with artificial intelligence as well as linking individual brains in a kind of brain cloud. The fact that such a development could have massive social consequences is not discussed by Musk.

However, Neuralink is not only criticized for the uncritical development of such interfaces, but also because of solid violations of animal protection laws. Thus against the enterprise one investigates, since masses of animals are to have been killed illegally. This is probably due to enormous time pressure in the company, which regularly led to operational errors. Musk himself has once again attracted attention in this context: He is said to have not only threatened with dismissals or company closure, but also asked employees to imagine that a time bomb was attached to their head in order to urge them to work faster. Very similar leadership problems are known from other Musk companies.

Exemption for human trials

In light of what has happened at the company so far, it is surprising that it has received an exemption from the FDA for human trials – especially since such an exemption requires the company to show that there is no exceptionally high risk to test subjects. So far, Neuralink has not begun recruiting subjects. However, it is expected that this step will take place in the near future. It is not known exactly what the study will look like.

Neuralink is likely to face the main problem of ensuring a trial setup suitable for everyday use, despite the wiring. Until now, the company’s brain implant has been connected to a computer by cable, which means that there is necessarily a permanent open wound on the head that leads directly to the brain. Such a wound poses a massive risk of infection and requires permanent professional care.

At the University of Geneva a wirelessly functioning implant has already been developed and presented at a conference at the end of last year. However, it has not yet been tested on humans.