Chip in the brain
The human brain as quoted by Pliny the Elder is the citadel of the senses which guides the principle of thought. With all its staggering complexity of billions of nodes brain by itself is the product of million years of evolution.The human brain has undergone some remarkable changes during its course of evolution.Unfortunately not all our fellow beings are gifted with the same level of cognitive and interpretable skills.In order to bridge the gap in terms of cognitive development within our fellow folks, artificial intelligence can be used.Even though this chip technology has not yet been developed totally it has a keen potential to revolutionize medical science.
Elon Musk, the founder of Neuralink recently revealed that the goal of his ambitious NEURALINK device is to develop a brain-computer interface.Musk also said this device would let people achieve a state called “AI-symbiosis” which allows the human brain to merge with artificial intelligence.This coin-shaped device with about 1024 electrodes would be designed in such a way that it can be fanned out in the human brain. Those electrodes can read or write brain activity by sensing or stimulating neurons, all while transmitting the data wirelessly via Bluetooth like radio waves to enable researchers to analyze it.Musk also stated that Neuralink will also develop a precision robot to surgically install the chip within few hours underneath the skull and to feed the wires into the brain so as not to damage it by accidentally puncturing blood vessels.
Talking about the practical applications of Neuralink, Musk said that it is primarily being developed to aid people with neurological and motor disorders like schizophrenia,memory loss,Parkinson’s, Dystonia, Epilepsy, and so on.He has also claimed that Neuralink chips will also be able to retrain a few parts of the brain to help people struggling with depression.Electrodes in the chip can understand the electrical signals transmitted in the brain and translate them into an algorithm that a machine can read.This is how Neuralink will enable you to talk with machines without having to actually talk.So no more calling out “Siri” or “Ok Google!”
The company has stated that the initial phase of Neuralink will focus only on healthcare.The device will also be able to help paraplegics with tasks like operating a phone or computer.Musk has also given hopes that Neuralink may also be able to give eyesight to someone who has issues with the optic nerve.He also added that the chipset may also be able to restore memory,speech, and movement of a paralyzed person.Along with all these healthcare possibilities, he also added that users will be able to directly stream music into their brains.
Every technology ever discovered has had both positive and negative impacts. Similar to that Neuralink will also definitely have its own disadvantages.Over the past couple of years if the Netflix series Black Mirror and the social dilemma has taught us anything it’s that you don’t mess with Artificial Intelligence.With the human race entering into the realms of AI,the possibilities are endless! Even though there are possibilities of infinite healthcare opportunities using this device it has to be designed and used in an appropriate way.The primary concern would be the connectivity of the device.In case if the device is about to be connected to the internet how will the device work efficiently without connectivity.How will the device be protected against cyber-attacks which may be targeted to steal sensitive personal data?
While there are so many concerns like these the only way to utilize this device would be enforcing strict guidelines to use it only for healthcare purposes.If you can’t beat AI,join AI for a better future!!
