Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, hinted on Twitter that news from Neuralink, the neurotechnology company he founded in 2016, is imminent.
When asked on the social media platform for an update about the company, Mr. Musk replied, "Coming soon." Previously, in September 2018, he said in an interview that Neuralink would be making an important announcement "in a few months."
Neuralink's mission is to augment human brains with computer technology via the implantation of tiny electrodes. In March, according to Bloomberg, five scientists associated with the company shared a paper online outlining what appears to be the preliminary research into this method; the paper is still unpublished, but may be the update to which Mr. Musk referred.
This type of brain-computer interface could be used for a multitude of purposes: as a non-invasive way to treat brain disease, to access an artificial intelligence-powered device with the mind or, in accordance with Mr. Musk's previously expressed fears, to ensure humans remain smarter and more powerful than AI.
"Best-case scenario, we effectively merge with AI, where AI serves as a tertiary cognition layer. It will enable anyone who wants to have superhuman cognition," he said in the September interview. "The merge scenario with AI is the one that seems like probably the best…If you can't beat it, join it."
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