Neuralink is allowed to test brain chips on humans

The company Neuralink, founded by Twitter owner Elon Musk, has received approval from the US authorities to test computer chips in the human brain. The FDA approval is “an important first step,” Neuralink said on Twitter.

At a presentation of his start-up in December, Musk announced that the implants (brain-computer interfaces) manufactured by Neuralink would make it possible to communicate directly with computers through thoughts. “Of course we want to be extremely careful and make sure it works well before we put a device in a human,” Musk said at the time.

Full-bodied promises

The billionaire is known for setting ambitious goals for his companies, some of which never materialize and others only with a significant delay. He was also behind schedule with Neuralink: Musk announced in July 2019 that he would be able to carry out the first tests on people the following year.

But the company’s application for a human clinical trial was initially rejected by the FDA in early 2022 over concerns about the implant’s safety. So far, the roughly coin-sized prototypes have only been implanted in animals. A Neuralink presentation showed monkeys using the brain chip to participate in simple video games or move a cursor on a screen.

With the help of the implanted interfaces, Musk wants to heal neurological diseases or reduce their consequences. The start-up is currently developing other implants to be placed in the spinal cord or in the eyes to restore mobility or vision.

Technical upgrade

However, according to Musk, his primary goal is to ensure that people are not intellectually overtaken by systems with artificial intelligence. For this, according to the billionaire, the human body must be technically upgraded. Critics, on the other hand, warn of possible misuse of the new technology with far-reaching effects on freedom and democracy.

The authorities have repeatedly checked Neuralink’s activities for possible legal violations. Among other things, an investigation by the US Department of Agriculture is currently underway to clarify whether the company violated animal welfare requirements in its experiments.

In addition to Neuralink, several competitors are also working on brain-computer interfaces. In July, Synchron announced that it was the first company to implant a corresponding chip in the brain of a US patient.

jj/sti (afp, rtr)