This is not the first time, nor will it be the last, that a scientific advance raises ethical doubts.
This case is not immune to that dilemma. Elon Musk announced Monday night that the first human had received a brain implant thanks to his company Neuralink. This advance is considered a potential milestone in the development of brain-computer interface technology that could one day supposedly help those suffering from ailments, such as paralysis, interact with their environment.
This was launched by the businessman in messages on his X network, where, without further specifications, he assured that the patient had received the implant on Sunday and that he was recovering well from the surgical intervention.
In this way it indicated that the operation had been carried out successfully, without any relevant technical problems being recorded. But he did not disclose personal details about the patient or where he was.
Neuralink announced last September that it was opening a period to recruit patients to participate in its trials. In their communication, they noted that they were looking for people who suffered from tetraplegia due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or spinal cord injury, according to the advertisements the company made for recruitment.
In his messages on his proprietary network, Musk added that initial results showed promising detections of neural spikes. This would mean that the device was detecting signals from individual neurons within the brain.
This circumstance could allow higher quality brain signals to be decoded, the specialists stressed. But Musk did not specify the number of neurons that the device detected, nor did the company offer any specification of data on the safety and effectiveness that are necessary to gauge the success of the implant, the experts responded.
The Neuralink implant includes a coin-sized chip that is placed in the skull. Attached to the chip are dozens of small filiform electrodes that are implanted in the brain itself and transmit electrical signals from the neuron.
It remains to be resolved how an implanted brain will respond over time to the inserted threads. Tissues can grow around it, the researchers explain, and degrade the electrical signals it captures.
Neuralink competes with a handful of other companies that are involved in brain-computer interface development. Other firms have tested possible implants. No one, however, has come as far as the company that Musk founded in 2016.
It is clear that Neuralink steps on the accelerator. The Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave authorization last year to the company to carry out its first trials for the implantation of a chip in the human brain, which was a success and a promise to help patients to overcome paralysis and neurological problems. And in September it received permission to recruit patients to begin developing these tests with humans.
The study uses robots to surgically place a brain-computer interface implant that is inserted into a region of the brain that controls the intention to move, Neuralink previously reported. The company clarified in a statement that its initial goal was to allow people to control the cursor or keyboard of a computer using only their thoughts.
In another message on “Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a fast typist or auctioneer,” he clarified in his post. “This is the goal.”
Neuralink has been in the spotlight for not specifying the security protocols it applies and has faced many obstacles due to these concerns.
One of the tests shown last year consisted of recordings in which monkeys that have received the implant are observed moving a cursor or playing video games.
Musk then responded that “no monkeys have died as a result of the implants.” For these experiments, he clarified that they only used “terminal” primates and minimized the risk of harm to specimens that were in good health.
In his very personal scientific style, Musk wanted to eliminate any ethical doubts about experimenting on humans such as guinea pigs, at the cost of economic benefit, using himself as an example. At the beginning of the tests he suggested that he could undergo one of these brain chip implantations, with which he seeks to help humanity in collaboration with artificial intelligence.
Neuralink’s motto is “restore autonomy to those with unmet medical needs today and unlock human potential tomorrow.”
