Neuralink, Elon Musk’s neurotechnology startup, recently live-streamed footage of a paralyzed man with a brain implant playing video chess using only his mind. According to Musk, that’s just one of many medical applications for brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). But it is BCI’s non-medical applications that are generating controversy among ethicists, in the way they aspire to create a symbiosis between people and AI meant to keep humanity from falling too far behind machines. Joe and Mark assess the state of BCI technology and whether the coming age of human-computer hybrids is cause for excitement, trepidation, or both. (Recorded May 10, 2024.)
Neuralink, Elon Musk’s neurotechnology startup, recently live-streamed footage of a paralyzed man with a brain implant playing video chess using only his mind. According to Musk, that’s just one of many medical applications for brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). But it is BCI’s non-medical applications that are generating controversy among ethicists, in the way they aspire to create a symbiosis between people and AI meant to keep humanity from falling too far behind machines. Joe and Mark assess the state of BCI technology and whether the coming age of human-computer hybrids is cause for excitement, trepidation, or both. (Recorded May 10, 2024.)