Plug me in, Scotty?
I'm not sure how I feel about this... but it looks like it's coming.
The melding of man and machine has been a recurring theme in science fiction. Today, that fiction — yet another 'science fiction' — is on the brink of becoming a reality. We truly live in historic times!
Neuralink, a company founded by Elon Musk, is pioneering the development of a brain-machine interface that could redefine our understanding of consciousness and transform the future of humanity. And it wouldn't even be his first 'world-changer!' How remarkable, the impact of a single life. (And, even at the scale of we puny normal people, how often we tend to forget this.)
What Is Neuralink?
Neuralink's technology, a brain-machine interface, is designed to enable direct communication between the human brain and external devices. It is based on a network of tiny threads that can be implanted into the brain, capable of detecting and stimulating neural activity. These threads are significantly thinner than a human hair, designed to interact with neurons at a level of precision that was previously unimaginable.
Neuralink has made significant strides in its technology. Recently, the company successfully implanted its device into a monkey, enabling the animal to play video games using only its mind[2].
This breakthrough is a testament to the potential of Neuralink's technology. It is also a glimpse into a near future in which humans will control digital interfaces, prosthetics, or even entire robotic bodies using only their thoughts.
Potential Uses & Applications
The potential applications of Neuralink's technology are vast and transformative. For individuals with neurological disorders or physical disabilities, the brain-machine interface could restore lost functions such as movement, speech, or sensory perception. It could revolutionize neuro-prosthetics, enabling individuals with paralysis to regain control of their limbs. As Elon Musk himself stated, "If you can sense what people want to do with their limbs, you can do a second implant where the spinal injury occurred and create a neural shunt. I'm confident in the long term it will be possible to restore somebody's full body motion." Similar technologies are already in active development in many universities and medical schools around the globe.
It could also lead to breakthroughs in treating neurological disorders like Parkinson's disease or epilepsy, or even enhance human cognitive abilities[1]. It could improve memory and accelerate learning, allowing us to augment our cognitive abilities — perhaps even to download information directly into our brains, 'Matrix'-style. Or even enable direct mind-to-mind communication. 'How's that for being direct, Honey?'
The implications of Neuralink's technology for our understanding of consciousness are also profound. The brain-machine interface could potentially provide unprecedented insights into the workings of the human mind. By recording and interpreting neural activity, we might then correlating it to specific thoughts and behaviors — perhaps even to specific words, images, or sounds — gaining unprecedented insight into the nature of consciousness, thought processes, and even the essence of our individuality.
In an even more speculative vein, Neuralink's technology could conceivably pave the way for a form of digital immortality. By recording and storing an individual's neural activity over time, it might be possible to create a digital copy of a person's consciousness that could be transferred to a new body or a virtual environment. We've seen this in movies and TV shows several times already... which means it's probably only a matter of time before it's part of our 'end'-of-life arrangements. (Why does that seem like a grisly thought?)
Dangers and Disadvantages
Despite its promise, Neuralink's technology also poses significant risks and ethical challenges. The invasive nature of the brain-machine interface raises concerns about physical safety and even psychological impact. The mere prospect of having a device implanted in one's brain might also be unsettling for many.
Some of the often-stated risks and concerns include:
Potential for Abuse: The technology could potentially be used to manipulate an individual's thoughts or behavior. In the wrong hands, this could lead to a loss of autonomy and personal freedom, and there is also the potential for these devices to be used for surveillance or control[9].
Privacy Violations: The device could allow for the direct monitoring of an individual's thoughts and experiences, and possibly even manipulate a user's thoughts and emotions. This raises significant concerns about the protection of privacy, personal information and the potential for unauthorized access to this information[3,5].
The device could potentially interfere with the normal functioning of the brain, leading to cognitive or behavioral changes that are unwanted or unintended.
The technology could potentially create unequal access to its benefits, exacerbating social inequalities. If only the wealthy have access to these enhancements, it could lead to a widening cognitive gap between the rich and the poor[4]. That would not simply be a socio-economic issue. It could lead to no less than a divergence event in human evolution, and that would be a very bad thing for all Earthlings.
In looking a little more closely at the psychological aspect, there are several specific psychological and behavioral concerns related to the use of brain-machine interface (BMI) technologies such as Neuralink. These include:
Mental Health: There exists the potential for BMIs to negatively impact mental health. If a device malfunctions or is used improperly, for example, it could potentially cause or exacerbate mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression[6].
Identity and Self-Perception: They may also be able to affect a person's sense of self and identity. If a device can influence a person's thoughts, emotions, or behaviors, it could lead to questions about personal identity and autonomy[7].
Dependency: There is a risk that users could become overly dependent on these devices, which could lead to a range of problems, including a lack of self-confidence and a decreased ability to function without the device[8]. (This is not terribly difficult to imagine, given current mobile-device-addiction levels. Especially among teens.)
While these and other concerns are significant, they still remain somewhat speculative at this point, simply because the technology is in such an early stage of development.
Where Angels Fear To Tread
There is no doubt that Elon Musk’s Neuralink brain-machine interface represents a thrilling frontier in technology and neuroscience. But, even on the precipice of this mind-boggling (literally) new era, it is crucial that we navigate the path forward with caution. The development and responsible application of such technologies must be guided by ethical considerations and a commitment to the betterment of all humanity. (That was not the Borg's first priority when they started down this road, and look what became of them.)
I'll be honest. When I first heard about Neuralink, I was like, there’s no way. This is the brain we're talking about. This ain't no smile-wrinkle Botox shot! I have not yet changed my mind either, and nor will I, until any such technology is well-established and a known quantity.
Of course (and at the risk of laboring the Star Trek references with a third)... depending on how things go with this whole AI thing, my resistance may turn out to be futile.
Let's hope it doesn't come to that.
Where The Trend Leads...
One possible application of brain-mind interface technology, together with genetics, may lead to a form of bio-electronic hybridization that I imagine in my near-future sci-fi novel, The Intrepid: Dawn Of The Interstellar Age. It is a technology that I project as a logical outcome of both recent peer-reviewed research and the latest BMI developments.
We already have the capacity to splice genes very effectively, thanks to CRISPR technology [10].
We have already developed artificial nucleotides, expanding our genetic alphabet from ATGC to ATGC+XY. We can now, in theory, synthesize amino acids and tRNA molecules that allow us to use a cell's genetic machinery to manufacture proteins that have never existed before — proteins with specific and new functionalities [11].
Imagine, then, a near-future in which biological analogues of many electronic components make it possible to engineer bio-circuitry that operates alongside regular tissue function. Along with a little neural interfacing, this might allow us to achieve, for instance, data processing abilities that could take place internally, in addition to the capacity to communicate with and manipulate external electronic systems.
Rudiger touches the fingertips of his right hand to a set of five exposed metal contact points on the surface of a knob on the control panel. The small patches of metallic skin discoloration on the pads of his fingertips make contact...
To read about just such a world — humanity's first interstellar mission, on which several crew members have these modifications — pick up a copy of my award-winning novel The Intrepid: Dawn Of The Interstellar Age, an ensemble adventure drama in which the science is intended to be realistic (not to mention relativistic).
Sources:
11. Hirao I, Kimoto M., “Unnatural base pair systems toward the expansion of the genetic alphabet in the central dogma,” Proc Jpn Acad Ser B Phys Biol Sci. 2012;88(7):345-367