Elon Musk’s Neuralink reports trouble with first human brain chip ( arstechnica.com )

The first invasive brain chip that Neuralink embedded into a human brain has malfunctioned, with neuron-surveilling threads appearing to have become dislodged from the participant's brain, the company revealed in a blog post Wednesday.

It's unclear what caused the threads to become "retracted" from the brain, how many have retracted, or if the displaced threads pose a safety risk. Neuralink, the brain-computer interface startup run by controversial billionaire Elon Musk, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Ars. The company said in its blog post that the problem began in late February, but it has since been able to compensate for the lost data to some extent by modifying its algorithm.

gardylou ,
@gardylou@lemmy.world avatar

How is this shit legal? Like, why is any company allowed to willy nilly fuck around with trying to implant computer chips into human brains?

Alimentar ,

Through consent. The guy probably either has terminal illness and is happy to contribute to research or is completely paralysed, that an operation like this could benefit both parties.

It's an agreement and I'm sure the risks are expressed to the individual.

gardylou ,
@gardylou@lemmy.world avatar

I'm saying the continued misuse of technology for unnecessary and dangerous purposes can be considered a threat to public health and safety in the long term. For far too long we have identified risks of certain technology, especially in the hands of amoral alt-whites like Musk (he spent $44 billion to amplify neo-nazis for fuck sake), but shrugged our shoulders at the idea of regulating or banning dangerous technology. I want to challenge people to envision a world where we don't have to tolerate shit like this.

Entropywins ,

This technology is amazing. I hope this turns out well for the volunteer.

ProgrammingSocks ,

Hmm, turns out the human body doesn't like to be tampered with! Who could have predicted this? I'm sure this is akin to organ rejection but I'm definitely surprised that the brain has these kinds of mechanisms. Maybe to defend against ancient parasites?

Thann ,
@Thann@lemmy.ml avatar

If only someone could have predicted

venoft ,
@venoft@lemmy.world avatar

I don't know which company I would trust developing my brain implant, but it sure as hell isn't Tesla. Their software and hardware history is less than stellar.

allcretansareliars ,

It's all very well having a Tesla implant, until you stop at a junction and your brain catches fire.

beebarfbadger ,

It's fiiiiine, I wouldn't want a stupid brain chip that's NOT on fire anyway. Looks much cooler and I bet that's just how Daddy Elon planned it to be.

tektite ,

It's ok, there's still other companies to choose from. Twitter can develop your brain implant instead!

beebarfbadger ,

Have you considered upgrading to the Ultra Premium Deluxe Version? For just 99.99- a month, you can actually use what you bought!

65gmexl3 ,
@65gmexl3@lemmy.world avatar

I mean it's too early to trust anyone with this new technology

el_abuelo ,

For stellar technology you need to go to SpaceX. You've been shopping at the wrong Musk store.

Emerald ,

Musk store

Welcome to the Musk store! Go over to customer service and get your brain implant. Then you can start shopping and your Neuralink will know what items you put in your cart. The most convienent shopping experience ever! Just don't shoplift, we'll know.

CuttingBoard ,

Will Yankee Candle Company have a delightful smelling implant for me? Hmmm I wonder what Cracker Barrel will come up with. The future is here, and it smells amazing.

Raxiel ,

Have they tried firing most of the neurons, keeping only the most hardcore?

Trigger2_2000 ,

What are we going to do tomorrow night Brain?

popekingjoe ,
@popekingjoe@lemmy.world avatar

The same thing we do every night Pinky.

TRY TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD

Thrashy ,
@Thrashy@lemmy.world avatar

Well, that'll happen if you don't take your Neuropozyne. Their test subject should have budgeted for that before getting augmented.

Apeman42 ,
@Apeman42@lemmy.world avatar

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/b9893f4d-6af4-4c33-91c2-82c4fd7af2cc.jpeg

Fapper_McFapper ,

Betcha he took a shower and forgot to put it in shower mode.

Assman ,
@Assman@sh.itjust.works avatar

DO NOT WASH YOUR BRAIN IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT

Fapper_McFapper ,

Of fuck, you just reminded me of that commercial. HEAD ON! APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE FOREHEAD! HEAD ON! APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE FOREHEAD!

Thanks Obama!

TomMasz ,
@TomMasz@lemmy.world avatar

No one could have predicted this totally predictable situation.

TacticsConsort ,
@TacticsConsort@yiffit.net avatar

Well... that's probably the most expected thing to ever be expected. It was never a matter of 'if', it was a matter of when.

ivanafterall ,
@ivanafterall@kbin.social avatar

The company said in its blog post that the problem began in late February, but it has since been able to compensate for the lost data to some extent by modifying its algorithm.

Because that's what people are worried about: THE LOST DATA.

Maeve ,

Can you imagine the marketing value?

credo ,

The blog is obviously targeted towards advertisers. The future looks amazing and full of possibilities. Just think about how your 8 hours of sleep alone could be turned into product placement opportunities for nestle.

7U5K3N ,

Futurama tried to warn us.

Maeve ,

;_;

lurch ,

confused Data from Star Trek answering an antique phone sitting in a strange cabinet in his belly

mhague ,

When a computer reads some signal, the 0s and 1s in it's memory is the data. The data must be processed so that the computer can understand it.

This computer is using threads to read neuron activity. It must necessarily receive data because if it didn't it wouldn't be reading neuron activity. They're the same thing.

This data is processed so that the computer can make sense of the brain. Once it understands some activity it generates signals that can control external devices.

Here's an example. Imagine a device that monitors the heart and does something to fix a problem. The device would get data on the heart and process the data so that it can perform it's function.

Wouldn't monitoring health concerns and mitigating data loss be extremely important in these scenarios?

Maven ,
@Maven@lemmy.sdf.org avatar

The point is that this is the opening paragraph about something going wrong in human brain surgery, and the first thing they tell us is "don't worry, the data's fine", rather than anything about the human. Indeed, you have to read to the last paragraph to find:

Arbaugh's safety does not appear to be negatively impacted.

ech , (edited )

and the first thing they tell us is “don’t worry, the data’s fine”, rather than anything about the human.

I do agree it would have been significantly more considerate to mention that the person is ok first, but I feel like you're confusing data storage (ie something they're collecting) with data processing (ie how the device operates). The data in question is the latter. In other words, they are explaining that the problems are being accounted for so that the device can still function in the human it's attached to.

Maven ,
@Maven@lemmy.sdf.org avatar

No, I understood that, I did read the article. I'm lambasting the fact that in an article about "brain chip gone wrong", burying the "but human seems to be unharmed" at the end of an article is indicative of a set of priorities wildly different from my own.

blazeknave ,

TY! My first thought was he was this poor sweet guy who just wanted to play Civ and fell for this grifter

Grass ,

I can't believe anyone willingly got this after the monkey testing thing. They have to be taking advantage of people not fit to make decisions for themselves.

CaptDust ,

The patient became quadriplegia in a car accident, I wouldn't call it unfit for decisions but definitely someone desperate to find a sense of normalcy.

over_clox ,

I thought the goal was to reconnect the brain to the spinal cord though.

But dude is still stuck in a wheelchair, and so far it's basically been just a fancy experimental mouse cursor? Installed in his brain? And already failing?.....

CaptDust , (edited )

I don't really keep up with Elon moon shits, but I think the idea is to substitute the brains neurological commands. Research is still on the "read" stage, like knowing what information the brain is requesting. Eventually neurolink will also need to discover how to relay those signals back to the nervous system in a way it understands, engaging muscles and such, effectively rebuilding the bridge that was damaged. Or robot legs or whatever, but the key is first getting the information into a format they can act on. But I'm not smart, this is just how I understood it.

over_clox ,

And they already killed how many monkeys testing this stuff? Last I heard was that they tested 15 monkeys or so, and 13 of them ended up dying or having to be euthanized after only a few months.

They already admitted they had problems with their brain electrodes corroding after a few months or so...

I like to keep my noodle intact thank you very much. Even if I was a vegetable, I wouldn't want a chip in my head that's known to have corroding wires.

vrek ,

See the corroding part scares me. Actual electrodes planted in the brain should never corrode. The company I work for actually makes brain implants(no, not nueralink) so I know it's possible.

That stuff is EXPENSIVE though ... So he must of cheaped out with a cheaper metal and that's why it corroded.

over_clox ,

Indeed. Hell, I'm no expert in the field, but haven't they had reliable Parkinson's brain implant devices for decades?

vrek ,

Yes, and those are the ones I make.

JJROKCZ ,

I hope he chose to cheap on monkeys because they’re viewed as expendable in the eyes of many, and hope he actually used the good stuff on people.

He’s the type of psycho to say no to expensive implants on the monkeys because they’re “just monkeys”

philycheeze ,

Well that’s the main issue isn’t it? It’s not that the idea is bad, it’s all the cut corners on safety and quality. Same reason I won’t be getting into one of Elons cars or rockets.

VirtualOdour ,

Watching his videos he's a clever snd self aware guy more than capable of thinking for himself. Hate Elon but you don't need to shit on the disabled by acting like being in a wheelchair means you can't think for yourself

over_clox ,

You totally missed my point. I wasn't shitting on the disabled fella at all. I was 100% shitting on the Neuralink chip, which is supposedly being developed and promoted as a way of fixing paralysis.

The fact that the man is still in a wheelchair means that Neuralink has achieved 0% of it's ultimate intended goal. It's just a fancy mouse cursor (and probably keyboard) so far.

VirtualOdour ,

Science isn't magic, nothing gets invented in a single iteration. Don't let your hate for a single person blind you to reality, allowing someone who can't control a mouse to do so is breathtaking. it's not the first time it's happened but it's a big step forward and once testing and improvement stages have been completed we'll hopefully see more fluid links to other movement tools and technologies such as llms which will allow people totally dependent on help to live their own lives.

Grass ,

Not many options I guess. Sucks to have to gamble on the crazy billionaire with a lot of faulty shit.

JJROKCZ ,

Guy has nothing left to lose really, I don’t blame him for taking this risk considering I would strongly consider it myself were I in his situation

slaacaa , (edited )

Yes, unfortunately this is the case. In an article I read the guy was able to pay chess and Age of Empires with his thoughts and the chip, quite impressive tech indeed, it’s just that you absolutely cannot trust anything near Musk

curiousPJ , (edited )

OCZ back in the day (2008) had a brainwave game controller... didn't need surgery for that.

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16826100006

TheDarksteel94 ,

The only thing he could lose is only a few important brain functions, if something truly does go wrong. Nothing major. /s

Buddahriffic ,

I mean, in that position I'd probably be willing to gamble with my life. Not with Musk involved, but if there was a similar opportunity without his involvement. It would be an honorable death, too, as long as it didn't result in a halt on the research.

If I could fully trust the ones doing it, there is a certain % of death risk I'd be willing to take as a healthy person once the tech is more mature. The possibilities of such technology are endless, especially as the tech becomes more interactive rather than just observing and acting on those observations. I'm not sure if I'd want to live in the Matrix, but I'd love to at least visit it or play VR games based on that tech. Altered Carbon would be interesting, too.

beebarfbadger ,

Sure, the possibilities are endless, so the first thing we'll get that has any research money and effort put into it is how to turn it into an advertising platform and then maximally enshittifying it as soon as there's a market share to speak of.

Buddahriffic ,

Yeah, that "if I could trust it" is pulling a lot of weight there. Like I decline fucking website cookies. Tech like that has way more invasive potential. Maybe they wouldn't even need to advertise and could directly make you just buy things or give them free labour. You'd just need a module to make a person act like a normal happy person and then with that could potentially do anything "under the hood" without being detected. The possibilities are endless in the dystopian direction, too. Realistically, "if I could trust it" isn't a requirement that can be met.

beebarfbadger ,

Oh, they'd never do anything as sinister as that. That may still be illegal (if the ultra-rich lobbying hasn't taken care of that obstacle by that point).

Instead, they'll just make sure that whatever essential core service they've built a monopoly in by just muscling the poorer competitors out of the race will cease to be offered to you if you refuse to hand all your money over to them.

See also: insulin, hospital treatment, etc. This is just a new playing field to find old prey in.

Psythik ,

Wait, is that what these brain chips are for? Well now I can't hate on them as much as I used to if they're meant to help people learn how to walk again. I thought it was just supposed to help you process thoughts more quickly or something, like a math coprocessor in an old 90s PC.

CaptDust ,

It's one use, I've heard their designs described as opening the brain's io processes. Once the "data lanes" are available, it's then the "applications" implement the uses over it. That could mean adding a math coprocessor, or correcting vision issues, or getting tweets beamed into your mind. Roll the dice on a musk project 🤷

There's a ton of potential uses for the tech, if they can get it functional, but it's going to require too much trust for me to realistically consider it.

MeanEYE ,
@MeanEYE@lemmy.world avatar

I can believe people took up on this offer. As the saying goes drowning man will reach for straws. Issue is they probably oversold reliability and safety.

over_clox ,

Just another rapid disassembly, nothing to see here..

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