Guarino, Ben. “Elon Musk’s Neuralink Has Implanted Its First Chip in a Human Brain. What’s Next?” Scientific American, 31 Jan. 2024, www.scientificamerican.com/article/elon-musks-neuralink-has-implanted-its-first-chip-in-a-human-brain-whats-next/.
The first subject of testing Elon Musk’s “Neuralink” project has been implanted with a chip in his brain. The aim of the project is to enable humans to control electronic devices with their minds. They would be able to command computers and other equipment to do things without actually having physical control over a device. This is a huge leap in biotechnology and how humans interact with and use technology.
This leap is very significant to the history of biotech, but in a good or a bad way, we’ve yet to see. I think the possibilities are great, but also terrifying; the latter of which my opinion leans towards. I think connecting the brain directly to a net that they are not in control of could lead to manipulation of behaviour or even remotely assassinating someone. I see how it could be useful, especially for people who’ve lost limbs and could regain control with replacement limbs, but I also see the possibility for a lot of harm to be done.
Brain-computer interfaces like Neuralink are exciting! Using your mind to control devices could revolutionize how we interact with technology. But, like you, I worry about the potential downsides. Uncontrolled access to the brain raises ethical questions about manipulation and privacy. However, the potential benefits for people with disabilities are undeniable. Perhaps there’s a middle ground – robust safety measures to prevent misuse, alongside responsible development to improve lives. What do you think?