If you or a loved one suffers from paralysis, one day you may qualify to control computers by merely thinking, according to Elon Musk, founder of Neuralink, a neurotechnology company specializing in brain chip implantation.
Musk announced Jan. 28 that Neuralink had successfully implanted a brain chip in its first human patient, launching human trials at the company.
“Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a speed typist or auctioneer. That is the goal,” Musk wrote on X.
Musk’s goal is ambitious, but there is a dangerous disconnect. We should not celebrate this as an advancement in science. Instead, we should fear the results.
Neuralink’s website addresses those with cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, to consider this brain surgery implantation. The implanted chip, called a wireless brain-computer interface, will help people overcome paralysis by allowing them to control external technological devices with their thoughts.
“This research will be the first of its kind to be performed in people and may help us find safer, more effective ways to implant and use our BCI to potentially restore and enhance computer control and other capabilities,” Neuralink’s website says.
But the chip does not restore or enhance. Mind control of a computer or phone is not a natural human ability, and nothing that has been lost is restored. Furthermore, to enhance something means to build upon an already existing ability, thus requiring mind control to originate in the human mind. This may be shocking, but no such ability exists.
My brother suffers from cerebral palsy. His disability has shaped him and our family for the better. He can’t walk, talk, or move without assistance. But he can laugh. And what joy it brings. His disability is not something to overcome, but instead something to celebrate his unique, miraculous life and the joyful perspective he offers.
In his announcement, Musk named the brain chip Telepathy. This very word choice reveals his ambitions. Musk desires to conquer human limitations, not just disabilities. His larger goal is mind control.
Musk has implied that in the future, implants will be available even to those without disabilities, according to Laura Cabrera of Pennsylvania State University in the Associated Press. This technology would surpass normal human memory, allowing anyone with an implanted chip to document information and later modify it as desired.
Musk’s endeavors not only attempt human mind control, but also require a dangerous journey to success. In 2022, during animal trials for Neuralink, a monkey died after the implantation in his attempt to control a video game, CNN reported.
Although the FDA has granted permission for human trials, we should be skeptical and cautious. The promise of overcoming disability and gaining greater mental capacities is not worth the sacrifice of human lives.
Cabrera noted the dangers of any brain surgery, including seizures and hemorrhages.
“Even though they’re using a novel way to implant the device, we just don’t know if it’s truly going to be a safer approach for human patients,” she said to the AP. “We know that he (Musk) has very bold claims. People not really assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the technology is something that I worry about.”
Musk is asking us to join his gamble of life. But at what cost? Our mental abilities are not limitations and do not need a telepathic chip for advancement. Viewing human capacities as something to enhance or overcome misses the greatness of natural abilities.
Even for those with disabilities, this project is dangerous and not worth the risk. Mind control will not overcome paralysis or regain lost movement. And attempting to do so only emphasizes the disability.
Musk wants to risk human life in order to overcome what he views as obstacles. But he is blind to the beauty of humanity. We should not celebrate this implant as a scientific advancement, but we should be ready to mourn human decline.
