Elon Musk wants to insert a chip in your brain. Neuralink, a company Musk has invested $100 million in, say they are ready to discuss their work publicly
SAN FRANCISCO — Elon Musk aspires to make inserting a computer connection into your brain as safe and painless as Lasik eye surgery.
On Tuesday evening, Neuralink, a company in which Musk has invested $100 million, was expected to detail the baby steps it has taken toward that goal. Neuralink planned to describe a “sewing machine-like” robot that can implant ultrathin threads deep into the brain.
The company claims the system will eventually be capable of reading and writing vast amounts of information. But as with many of Musk’s other ventures, like spaceships or futuristic tunnels, one of the biggest challenges may be for his scientists to match his grand vision.
Musk, the billionaire chief executive of the electric carmaker Tesla who has famously claimed that he “wants to die on Mars, just not on impact,” has a reputation for doing bold things, as well as making even bolder claims that stretch credulity.
Like artificial intelligence, the idea of inserting a device into the brain that would allow speedy communication between humans and computers veers quickly into science fantasy.
In his 1984 science-fiction novel “Neuromancer,” William Gibson posited the idea of something he called a “microsoft,” a small cartridge directly connected to the brain via a socket to provide a human user with instant knowledge, such as a new language.
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