Controlling a computer by thought, we get a little closer every day. Neuralink, Elon Musk’s start-up, has just shown a video of its first human patient playing chess telepathically thanks to its implant. Impossible to verify, however.
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A 29-year-old man, paralyzed in all four limbs after a car accident, is Neuralink’s first human patient to have surgically received an implant. In February, Elon Musk claimed that he could move a computer mouse with his mind and, in the video released on Wednesday March 20, this patient is shown playing chess on a computer without touching anything. We see him controlling the mouse just by thinking. He moves the cursor, clicks, takes a piece from the board, places it elsewhere. Everything seems very smooth. He doesn’t even look like he needs to concentrate, as he can be heard chatting quietly while he plays.
Certainly, it’s impressive, but it’s far from being a first. Several similar experiments have already been carried out since the beginning of the 2000s. Today, we even know how to dictate texts by thought. The current record is 78 words per minute, which is twice the average speed on a keyboard, as fast as the best typists.
Controlling all devices with your mind, Elon Musk’s dream
This video, however, is getting people talking. First of all, it is Neuralink, a company created by Elon Musk, “the king of communications”. His implant is also one of the first to communicate wirelessly. In most of the experiments that have taken place so far, the guinea pigs had a whole series of cables coming out of their heads. The Neuralink implant, once grafted, becomes completely invisible. Furthermore, this first implant does not only target paralyzed patients. The ultimate goal is to offer it to everyone, to increase their physical and intellectual capabilities, and, perhaps one day, combine artificial intelligence and human intelligence.
It’s hard to say if it’s just science fiction or if it’s realistic. We are still at the research stage. In any case, this is the dream of Elon Musk and transhumanists. To do this, you will have to agree to have your skull opened and a chip grafted inside. The idea terrifies some, but others would be ready to immediately register on the waiting list, to control their computer at the speed of thought.