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For years, Elon Musk has sounded the alarm to the dangers of Artificial Intelligence. To combat this potential future threat, he has developed a way to fight AI fire with human biotech fire: the Neuralink.
So, what is Neuralink, and why is everyone talking about it?
Founded by Musk and a group of scientists and engineers in 2016, Musk has personally invested millions into Neuralink, a company that focuses on brain-computer interfaces. BCIs allow for the human brain to interface with computers that then decipher the brain’s neural signals.
Neuralink has been experimenting with animals for some time now, and a video was posted of Pager, a macaque monkey, playing a game of pong using the Neuralink brain chip a year ago. More recently, Musk shared videos of other macaque monkeys performing “telepathic typing,” using just their thoughts to click on highlighted symbols and letters.
Meanwhile, Musk and Neuralink are adamant about using this technology for good, to help those with debilitating conditions.
On Wednesday, Nov. 30, Musk shared that out of the three applications they currently have for Neuralink, two of them are to restore vision for those who are blind. This includes people who were born blind and have never known sight.
The third application is being designed to focus on a person’s motor cortex. This will assist in the restoration of “full-body functionality” for those who have suffered spinal cord injuries.
“We’re confident there are no physical limitations to restoring full body functionality,” Musk said.
These applications are only the short-term goals that Musk shared at the “Show and Tell” event. Long-term, he hopes that Neuralink will become a fully integrated, whole-brain interface. This would allow Neuralink to interact with every aspect and section of a person’s brain, instead of sections that control specific areas, such as sight and motor functions.
Musk also believes that Neuralink could begin testing the motor cortex technology on humans in as little as six months.
“Obviously, we want to be extremely careful and certain that it will work well before putting a device in a human, but we’ve submitted, I think, most of our paperwork to the FDA,” he said.
Further down the development road, Musk hopes for applications of Neuralink to be able to boost a human’s intelligence and process information faster. It may even lead to tasks such as typing being done simply by looking at a screen or digital keyboard, much like the late Stephen Hawking used to communicate.
As is often the case with Musk, he is putting his money where his mouth is and plans on getting Neuralink implanted in his own mind.
“You could have a Neuralink device implanted right now and you wouldn’t even know. I mean, hypothetically … In fact, in one of these demos, I will,” he claimed.
These claims, and the very existence of such technology, have created worry among many as to the unethical application of such devices.
Musk himself has never given the indication that he has any nefarious intentions for any of the various tech he and his multiple companies are responsible for. But how many dystopian, cyber-punk movies do people have to watch before they realize that technology often can be used for purposes it was never originally intended to fulfill?
It is not just a fictional idea anymore, but a real life possibility.
As CBN News reported, some people are already getting chips implanted in their bodies to perform functions such as bank transactions and unlocking their homes.
For many, the question about hijacking the chip comes to mind. What happens if it gets hacked because of its wireless functionality? Can people’s minds be taken over from a central hub by the company in charge of the link?
Could this be technology used in the application of the Mark of the Beast?
Simply put, Christians do not know yet. But the Bible says to be wise and alert to the times. Jesus prophesied on the Mount of Olives what the world will be like prior to His return in Matthew chapter 24.
And right now, the world He describes looks awfully familiar. {eoa}
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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.
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