This past Thursday (25), the company Neuralink announced that it had received approval from the US national health surveillance agency (FDA) to implant and test brain chips in humans. The company and its owner, Elon Musk, had been suffering several rejections in authorization requests due to controversies and reports from former employees regarding the mistreatment of animals and unhealthy work rhythms.
The FDA (Us Food and Drugs Administration, in the original) did not comment on the decision, but, in March, it had still rejected applications for approval of Neuralink, due to safety problems reported by employees and former employees.
The purpose of microchips in humans, according to the billionaire, is to treat conditions such as paralysis and blindness, helping patients to use screens and mobile devices to control the interface through thought, for example. Already tested in simian guinea pigs, the chips must interpret brain signals and send relevant information to devices via Bluetooth technology.
Neuralink chip controversy
According to Musk, technologies such as the one developed by the company can help allay fears that artificial intelligence will end up replacing human labor and similar concerns. Experts, however, continue to raise concerns about the ethics of testing involving chips in human brains, saying extensive experimentation is needed and considerable technical challenges are faced.
Neuralink said it had no immediate plans to begin human trials, but promised to release more information on how to volunteer for the trials soon. On its website, the company mentions prioritizing “security, accessibility and reliability” during the technology creation processes. Even so, controversies and problems have been faced by it since it emerged, in 2016, co-founded by Elon Musk.
The initial plan was to start testing with chips in humans in 2020, as promised in 2019, but Neuralink faced delays both due to the lack of approval and problems in the speed of development. In December 2022, the company was reportedly investigated for reports of animal abuse and various violations, such as the improper transport and storage of biological material.
Recently, Swiss researchers managed to advance the field of brain implants and helped a Dutch citizen to walk with the help of implants, which, through wireless technology, send commands to his legs and feet. This may have helped the FDA speed up the approval process for the trials in the United States.
Source: Neuralink, BBC, Nature
