Neuralink: The Science and Future of Brain Chip Technology
- Kawtar Rettab
- 2 hours ago
- 7 min read
1. Introduction
Recent news has surfaced in which a patient survived a surgical implant of the Neuralink brain chip, which allows control over a computer using one's thoughts. This works by analyzing brain frequencies and the firing of neurons, then analyzing the patterns of these frequencies as detected by the chip. The Neuralink chip has 1,024 electrodes that monitor neural activity in specific areas of the brain. These electrodes track the brain's electrical signals. A calibration process is used to translate these neural patterns to the user's intended real-time actions on a computer.
2. The Development Journey of Neuralink
Neuralink's technology was first tested on a monkey; after implanting the chip, researchers observed the monkey playing a motor game called "Pong" on a computer. With the incentive of drinking a banana smoothie, the monkey moved a joystick to the right places on the computer screen, whilst researchers tracked its neural activity. Repeating this exercise, they linked patterns of neural spikes to the intended movements across the computer screen. This calibration process was refined in testing, and is now available for human patients.
The current potential speed of Neuralink is impressive. The first patient to receive the BCI implant scored an astounding 9.51 bits per second (BPS). The BPS is calculated from Webgrid, a platform where users must click targeted boxes as quickly as possible. According to Neuralink, BPS is calculated from the number of correct targets selected per minute (NTPM) and the size of the grid used in tests.
However, Neuralink recently encountered problems with its first human patient. 85% of the BCI implant’s electrodes were displaced, which hindered the ability of the system to accurately read neural signals. Furthermore, Neuralink had to wait for regulatory approval due to concerns from the U.S. Department of Transportation about the potential transfer of antibiotic-resistant pathogens during surgery. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) initially disallowed human trials due to concerns about the lithium battery, overheating of the device, wires moving to unintended areas of the brain, and the aforementioned surgery risks. Several animals have died during the Neuralink testing phases. For example, the monkey known as Animal 15 reportedly pulled at its implant until it bled, exhibited signs of pain, and had to be euthanized due to brain hemorrhaging and entangled electrode wires. These allegations may have serious implications for Neuralink's future.
Other medical risks associated with the BCI implant surgery are that the electrical interactions involved in this technology could lead to unforeseen consequences or side effects that are not yet fully understood. For instance, a large disadvantage of Neuralink brain chips is that they are not compatible with the bodily brain tissue, which results in glial scar formation around the implant; this makes the chip very difficult to remove in case of future brain chip upgrades. Solutions are being studied; according to a study published by Front Bioeng Biotechnol, by using flexible materials and smaller electrode wire sizes that are straight in shape rather than curved or zig-zag, the implants formed less glial tissue due to higher biocompatibility. Moreover, another medical risk is that neural implants may contain magnetic material that is dangerous when performing MRI scans, as the implant can become displaced and cause injuries. As a result, patients requiring brain diagnostics may not be able to undergo an MRI which may leave medical problems undetected. Brain chips are further being developed to be compatible with MRI scans.
3. Future Societal Implications
Brainwaves and signals reflect an individual’s every thought and action. BCI Technology is capable of mapping such information to some source to be read which can be exploited in numerous ways, and like most technologies, the ethics lag behind the invention.
3.1 BCI In Business
In the future, businesses may no longer rely on surface-level behavioral data. Currently, social media algorithms can recognize the scrolling and watching behaviors of its users to categorize customers by age, lifestyle, race, gender, and more on social media, refining algorithms to suit user preferences and deliver the highest value. BCI technology could take this further, with more accurate tracking of user behaviors to improve customer categorizations. Additionally, it can enhance advertising or manipulation tactics through neuromarketing tactics; companies might track users' reactions to visual or auditory stimuli, using this data to create the most effective possible advertisements. These ads could then target users who are responsive in differing ways, manipulating individuals not just at a demographic level, but by leveraging exact brain-stimulus responses, as if individuals are subjects for experimentation. For companies, this is a dream scenario; they instantly know which features of an advertisement are most impactful, appealing, and likely to evoke an emotional response from specific users compared to others. As this neural data is more accurate and thus more valuable, it can be commercialized and sold as a product. The potential for exploiting this technology cannot go unignored; Neuralink is a private corporation, and the nature of business is to earn a profit, even at a social expense. Safeguards have yet to be established regarding the privacy of users' BCI activity.
Despite the risks, there are merits to BCI technology for companies who abide by ethical standards; such as by allowing users to consent to their BCI data being collected and used. They can utilize BCI technology for the research and development stages of their products. Focus groups and surveys are notorious for being unreliable, as participants may not always state what they truly feel due to several psychological phenomena such as social desirability bias. Furthermore, facial expressions are considered unreliable indicators of emotions as they can be faked or misinterpreted due to cultural differences. BCI tech allows companies to know one’s true emotions, ultimately saving companies huge costs by understanding which products are more or less likely to succeed using more accurate data from research participants.
3.2 BCI for Surveillance
Another dangerous application of BCI technology is for surveillance purposes in authoritarian regimes. As warned in the novel 1984, governments that are left unchecked will eventually take over in unethical ways; and the notion of committing even “thoughtcrime” will become detectable by governments. In states where the people have few rights regarding freedom and/or privacy, such as North Korea, Afghanistan, and China, BCI technology can be used to further suppress the freedom efforts of their people. The potential of BCI must be recognized and regulated to avoid future problems.
3.3 BCI for Military Use
Governments and defense organizations are now investing in brain chips for warfare. In recent years, DARPA, the U.S. Department of Defense research group, has begun developing neural devices to allow soldiers to control military drone systems with their minds. The U.S. Army Research Laboratory has already tested BCIs in simulations, where soldiers controlled autonomous robots using neural commands. In one exercise, a soldier directed a drone to navigate urban environments using BCI to improve the efficiency of military procedures. Furthermore, France approved the development of technologies to improve its soldiers’ physical and cognitive performance. They aim to create systems where brain chips can improve “cerebral capacity” as well as allow commanders to have real-time health data of their soldiers.
These advancements have ethical risks, which governments have begun to regulate. For example, the French military has placed restrictions on the use of BCI tech’s power over a soldier’s free will. For instance, a bionic device must never force a lethal action when non-lethal options are more appropriate. Meanwhile, DARPA is also addressing cybersecurity concerns; hackers could manipulate BCI systems to disrupt operations or even influence a soldier’s cognitive processes. Cybersecurity warfare is expected to become much more relevant in the near future.
3.4 BCI in Criminology
Advancements in BCI devices in criminology include brain fingerprinting or fMRI lie detection devices. Brain fingerprinting utilizes electroencephalography to read neural patterns of the brain, to find if a criminal recognizes a certain object from the crime scene. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) directly measures oxygen levels of specific parts of the brain; of which specific patterns reflect a truth or a lie. Perhaps in the future, cognition and the ability to manipulate one’s thoughts will become a skill to be able to avoid “thoughtcrime” detection, make deliberate and careful commands over BCI-linked devices such as weaponry, or to be able to retain a certain level of privacy.
4. Legal and Regulatory Safeguards for BCIs
By enabling the brain to control external devices, Neuralink has the potential to create prosthetic limbs that are used as natural extensions of one’s body. This technology can offer paralysis patients more freedom and independence. However, these uses for BCI implants remain risky, as one’s brain activity can be erratic, and thoughts are often impulsive or unstable. As the calibration systems become more refined, there is a risk that even subtle or unintended thoughts could trigger actions, leading to potentially catastrophic consequences; such as sending an unintended message or initiating a dangerous military command.
5. Conclusion
The intentions behind Neuralink may be pure, but it may also be one of the most invasive technological innovations. Neuralink's groundbreaking brain chip has restored lost functions and controlled external devices with thought alone. In the future, BCI can resolve paralysis with machine implants and mechanical prosthetic upgrades, improve soldier performance and survivability, and brain activities of test subjects can be read more accurately.
However, the health risks involved in undergoing the BCI implant, commercialization of brain data, a loss of privacy and excessive surveillance, and a lack of acknowledgement and safeguards for BCI technology remain to be resolved. BCI will revolutionize warfare which may result in a larger gap between developed and developing economies. Global powers are investing in the development of BCIs in warfare, and the consequences remain to be seen. BCI exposes the most private parts of the human experience: our thoughts, memories, and emotions. What was intended to be used for good may cause more harm, as with most revolutionary technologies. Careful monitoring, regulation, and laws must be established regarding the ethical uses of brain chip technology.