Elon Musk’s brain-implant company, Neuralink, announced on Thursday that it has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to commence its first in-human clinical study. Taking to Twitter, the company expressed that this approval marks an important initial milestone towards leveraging their technology to benefit numerous individuals.
Neuralink’s primary objective is to develop implantable chips that can effectively address neural disorders in the human brain. The potential of these implants, in the future, could level the playing field between humanity and potential superintelligent computers.
Notably, Neuralink is not the sole player in the brain-computer interface (BCI) industry. Various companies are engaged in deciphering brain waves for the development of external technologies. For instance, in 2019, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg acquired CTRL-labs, a startup focused on non-invasive neural interfaces, which was subsequently integrated into Facebook’s Reality Labs. The aim of this endeavor is to revolutionize the way people interact with devices.
The significance of FDA approval lies in Neuralink’s ambition to enhance cognitive functioning rather than merely facilitating brain-computer interfaces in gaming. Elon Musk has repeatedly expressed his intentions to initiate human trials for brain implants targeting conditions such as paralysis and blindness. Despite being founded in 2016, Neuralink commenced the process of seeking approval only in early 2022. Although recruitment for medical trials has not yet begun, the approval from the FDA marks a crucial step forward for Neuralink’s groundbreaking technology.
