Earlier this month, Elon Musk, the fourth richest man in the world, released the Neuralink Microchip. The microchip was made to observe brain activity and identify brain damage. 

“This chip definitely has its kinks that need working out,” sophomore Katie McFarland chuckled. “ I definitely would not let anybody put a chip in my brain. I don’t know where that information would be going.”

 Elon Musk is a self made entrepreneur and the founder of SpaceX, Tesla, and Hyperloop. Musk has been innovating since he was in his 20s. In 1995, he founded Zip2 & X.com, offering website design in a time where the internet was a fairly new concept. He sold both companies for 1.8 billion after scaling. Musk has always been a visionary, even in his younger years; yet, it was still a shock when he presented society with Neuralink, claiming that  neuralink was the future of neuroscience and AI.

Musk founded Neuralink in 2016 as a startup company with a vision to change neuroscience forever. After the release of the  microchip, it was clear that Musk has been advancing.  The microchip is border-line molecular and can barely be seen. The chip is said to have the potential to cure memory loss, hearing loss, strokes, seizures, anxiety, and even blindness. Obviously, if this was foolproof/finished  it would possibly be the greatest technological breakthrough in the history of mankind.

 Polina Burkhard, a Sophomore at Oakdale High School, noted, “I definitely felt weird about it at first, but now I’m thinking that it could be great for people who are suffering mentally. It could prevent further issues from happening to us and other generations as well.” 

The chip has to be implanted into the brain using an 8 foot robot to guide the needle and the chip for proper insertion. Musk described it as “a fitbit in your skull.” 

However, with every advancement comes skepticism. Other neuroscientists were very unimpressed with the microchip, they did not think it was worth the hype. Elon Musk quickly responded on Twitter saying that all scientists who are opposing him will be shocked in a few years when the neuralink goes mainstream, and gains medical popularity. 

What the scientists got wrong was that the chip only observed brain activity, which is understandable considering that early on, that was all it was said to do. Perhaps now that full context has been given, they may change their minds in the long run.

To conclude,  this microchip could potentially be the pioneer for more advanced neuroscience in the future.

Sources:

https://www.zdnet.com/article/elon-musks-brain-computer-startup-is-getting-ready-to-blow-your-mind/