Elon Musk's Neuralink awaiting human trials

Elon Musk's company, Neuralink, has often made headlines and is working on "brain-machine interfaces" to establish a connection between humans and computers. Musk, who has repeatedly warned people about the dangers of AI, founded the company in 2016. Neuralink hopes to test its devices on humans and awaits the necessary approvals.

Neuralink awaiting human trials

A Reuters report indicates that Neuralink is looking for a partner with experience in conducting medical trials to help with human testing of the devices. However, the company has yet to publicly announce which organizations it is in talks with or when it plans to start testing its technology on humans.

The report further adds that the company approached one of the largest neurosurgery centres in the US for the same thing, six people familiar with the matter revealed. However, in early 2022, the US Food and Drug Administration rejected Neuralink's application to begin human trials, citing safety concerns.

The technology Neuralink is working on implanting tiny electrodes into a people's brain, allowing them to connect directly to a computer. Musk had earlier described the technology as a "high-bandwidth interface to the brain" and said it could eventually allow humans to communicate telepathically. So far, no company has received US approval to market a BCI implant.

On the other hand, the company hopes these implants will eventually cure diseases such as paralysis and blindness.

Elon Musk's recent tweet about Neuralink

When the improved version of ChatGPT, GPT-4, was released, it was announced that the chatbot had already passed many tests initially intended for humans. GPT-4 is also capable of handling higher-level questions than its predecessor. Musk, commenting on the GPT-4's abilities, asked what humans would do and that we should "get a move on with Neuralink."