Elon Musk Wants To Connect Your Brains Directly To A Computer: Introducing Neuralink
Photo credit: Steve Jurvetson - https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/18659265152/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40974345
The ubiquitous Elon Musk - yes, the one with Tesla, SpaceX and Hyperloop - is hitting again. He recently announced Neuralink, a company aiming to connect the brain directly to AI. According to an article in Wall Street Journal the company will focus on devices that can be implemented directly in the brain, facilitating the link with artificial intelligence.
Wether this is just hype (we saw Elon Musk demoing solar tiles too, but didn't hear anything about that specific venture since then) or a legit business, well, that's hard to tell.
But what we know for sure is that this technology was around quite for some time. Fueled by sci-fi speculation and media hype, it slowly starts to creep in as "the next thing" buzzword. When I say the "technology was around quite for some time" I'm referring to consumer-grade devices which are already interacting with your brain waves. Some of them are even linked to iOS apps allowing you to control the animation of a fire or a character levitating, by the way you focus your attention. I've used this technology myself and although it was quite immature, the results were very promising. I think the one I tested was called NeuroSky and it seems it's still active.
Now, try to put together the blockchain technology and these devices. Imagine how it would be to reach consensus on some governance issue just by thinking about it, together with dozens of other witnesses / validators and have the results of that thinking session saved immutably on the blockchain.
I'm a serial entrepreneur, blogger and ultrarunner. You can find me mainly on my blog at Dragos Roua where I write about productivity, business, relationships and running. Here on Steemit you may stay updated by following me @dragosroua.
I don't find it surprising that he is starting to work on this kind of project.
But, will this be the start of a new age of technologies? Of augmented people and the birth of cyborgs?
Yeap, that's the question. We do have augmented people already (think of all people carrying a cardio helper underneath their skin, or those with intelligent prosthetics, or, at the most basic level, people wearing glasses, they're all already "augmented" somehow).
We're going to soon reach a point of moral and ethics inflection where we will have to describe very accurately what is "life" and how do we define "human" and I highly doubt we're prepared for that.
Well, these kind of augmentations are, in a way, forced. Because nobody wants a cardio helper, or prosthetics if they don't need them.
But I think, there will be a time when technology will give us the option to choose to add an augmentation. Better sight, higher strength, etc.
Although, it will be created with military purposes, but, almost every piece of technology was created this way.
I agree with you, we are not prepared for that kind of discussion yet. What makes a human, human?
Brings to mind a certain recent episode of 'Black Mirror'
Didn't see any Black Mirror episodes, but I can think of many other movies where these devices can fit seamlessly :)
good news.
thanks for sharing.
@dragosroua
Interestingly, Elon Musk is believing in Singularity, and at the same time afraid AI will whip out human kind. That is why he started Open AI.
When believing in Singularity, it basically means that the reality will be that we end up with AI being so much more intelligent than humans (even days or hours after reaching Singularity), the 'rumour' is that Elon invests in such a bionic human company to make sure humans will stay on the same level as AI, more or less. Time will tell if Robocop becomes reality! :)
AI and Singularity I think will happen for sure, sooner than later actually.
Singularity is a very interesting topic... I don't think it can be covered in a few weeks of continuous writing comments :)
I agree! :)
To bad the body rejects such implants.
They have been trying this with people for prosthetic arms and such.
Metal, when put into a body, will start to pick up emissions form electric appliances and wires creating electrical and magnetic problems.
And the body breaks down around them.
At least, now I know for certain Elon Musk is a eugenicist.