While Neuralink has cleared a significant hurdle by gaining approval from the FDA to test the chip on humans, the company still has a long way to go. Other similar products received testing approval years before Neuralink, and none appear to have made it to market as things stand. Neuralink’s previous testing, some of which was performed on primates, resulted in the deaths of several animals. Human trials are undoubtedly more stringent than private tests performed on animals, and similar results may kill the project off completely. However, Neuralink’s, or at least Musk’s, non-medical ambitions face the stiffest challenges by far.
Dr. John Adler, Emeritus Dorothy and Thye King Chan Professor of Neurosurgery and Radiation Oncology at Stanford, told SlashGear that he didn’t think we’d see the implants in people without neurological conditions “any time soon” before adding, “It is imaginary thinking for such implants to happen. Non-medical people have no idea how hard it is to effect change in healthcare. In Neurolink’s aspirations, Elon will have met more than his match. Could this happen in 50 years, maybe, but even then, I would not hold my breath.”
We also have to consider the social side of things. Over the years, many tech products have failed because the general public just hated the idea of them. Concerns over things like privacy are one of the reasons Google Glass failed. Letting “big tech” jam something directly into the organ, which is responsible for your memories, feelings, and thoughts, is likely to be too far for many people. That’s without considering the risks involved. So as with many of Elon’s claims, it’s probably best you take his Neuralink predictions with a pinch of salt.
