Elon Musk says his startup Neuralink connected a chip to the brain of a monkey that the primate is now using to play video games with his mind.
Musk said Neuralink is currently developing brain implants that help people with paralysis control devices with their thoughts.
He added that technology could also allow people to communicate through their minds or save the state of the brain so that when it dies, it is sent to another body.
The Tesla mogul provided the rare Neuralink update during a Sunday appearance on the Clubhouse app, available only to guests.
[Read: How this company leveraged AI to become the Netflix of Finland]
He described the device as “a Fitbit in your skull with tiny wires going to your brain”.
We already have a monkey with a wireless implant in the skull and the tiny wires that can play video games using the mind.
If you are worried about the poor animal with cables attached to its brain, Musk promised that “he is a happy monkey”.
He said an inspector from the United States Department of Agriculture called the lab “the coolest monkey facility she has ever seen in her career”
The richest person in the world now wants apes to “play mind-pong with each other.”
He also invited anyone who has worked with advanced wearables, phones or robots to apply for a job at Neuralink.
Consider working at Neuralink!
Short term: resolve brain / spinal injuries
Long term: human symbiosis / AIThe latter will be important at the species level
Work at our units in the Bay Area or Austin https://t.co/LPzDrWO8h3
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 31, 2021
Slowing the ad campaign train
Neuralink’s tests so far have been limited to pigs and primates, but that hasn’t stopped Musk from speculating about the potential for humans:
If two people had a Neuralink, you could do conceptual telepathy, where you have a complex set of concepts and you can simply transfer them directly, without compression to the other person. This would greatly improve the quality of the communication and the speed of it. There are other very wild things that can be done. You could probably save the state in the brain, and therefore, if you died, your state could be returned to another human body or a robot body.
Musk added that Neuralink has already successfully tested implantation, removal and redeployment. He said the company “probably” will soon release new videos that show its progress.
But Musk’s claims must be seen with a big pinch of salt for now.
The founder of SpaceX had previously promised to have a million robot taxis on the roads in 2020. His recent Neuralink demo did not match the hype either.
Neuralink was one of many topics that Musk covered during his 90-minute questions and answers about the Clubhouse. In addition to monkeys, he meditated on Mars, memes and meetings.
He also spoke with Robinhood’s CEO about the app’s controversial decision to disable trading for GameStop.
If you want to hear about Space Karen’s plans to build his cars, put chips in his brain and take him to Mars, you can watch a stream of the conversation on YouTube.
Published February 1, 2021 – 17:47 UTC