Neuralink Co-founder Raises Safety Concerns and Establishes Precision Neuroscience

In a surprising development, Benjamin Rapoport, co-founder of Neuralink alongside Elon Musk, has parted ways with the brain-computer interface company, citing safety concerns. This revelation emerged during an interview on the Wall Street Journal's podcast "The Future of Everything."

Rapoport, a neurosurgeon, expressed his dedication to advancing neural interfaces from science to medicine but emphasized the paramount importance of safety when merging medicine with technology. His departure from Neuralink led him to establish his own venture, Precision Neuroscience.

Rapoport's primary concern revolves around Neuralink's methodology, which involves implanting tiny electrodes into the brain to extract information. He fears potential risks associated with this approach, particularly regarding brain safety.

On the other hand, his new company, Precision Neuroscience, uses different electrodes that sit on thesurface of the brainwithout going inside. This way, they hope to make the process less risky and safer for people. "I'vepretty muchdevoted my entire professional life to bringing neural interfaces from the world of science to the world of medicine. But I felt thatin order tomove to the world of medicine and technology, safety is paramount," Rapaport said. "For a medical device, safety often implies minimal invasiveness," Rapaport continued. "And in the early days of brain-computer interfaces, there was this notion thatin order toextract information-rich data from the brain, one needed to penetrate the brain with tiny little needle-likeelectrodes"

While Neuralink has garnered attention for its pioneering work in brain-computer interfaces, it has also encountered criticism, including reports of alleged mistreatment of monkeys and skepticism from the scientific community. Nonetheless, enthusiasm for the technology's potential applications remains undiminished.

Efforts to obtain further comments from Rapoport and Neuralink have been unsuccessful thus far. The departure of Rapoport underscores the significance of prioritizing safety in technological innovation, particularly in the evolving field of brain-computer interfaces. As discussions on the safety and ethics of such interfaces persist, Rapoport's exit highlights the ongoing need for rigorous safety measures in advancing this transformative technology.