An internet spectacle about Neuralink, a new piece of technology by the richest person on earth, Elon Musk. It has been a cause of argument over the past few years. Mainly over the foreseeable effects of human anatomy. Some, meanwhile, claim that it will help find cures for disabilities and help people live in a different reality. The argument on the safety of future human anatomy has the strongest support. By 2026, at least 21 people have been sampled for this technology, and the company is growing, currently approaching a net worth of 9 million.
The ultimate function of this chip is to detect thoughts and help with actions that might be difficult to perform, to make life easier. One of these possible abilities would be telekinesis. The official website quotes
“We place electrodes near neurons in order to detect action potentials. Recording from many neurons allows us to decode the information represented by those cells. In the movement-related areas of the brain, for example, neurons represent intended movements. There are neurons in the brain that carry information about everything we see, feel, touch, or think.”
There are a few common questions, including;
Who would this benefit? Easy, anyone with little to no control over any part of their body.
Another common question is, will it be affordable? This question remains unanswered. Some speculations suggest it may range from $ 10,000 to $ 50,000 USD, but the producer claims they will be brought down to $ 1,000 to $2,000 after a few advancements.
Many people claim that the idea is dystopian, and human anatomy might become fully reliant on these new pieces of technology. Evidence that supports this is that one of the people who was used as an experiment had hair retractions after getting the implant installed. The procedures usually have many complications, such as scarring, loss of a lot of blood, and infections, which have been seen in a few experiments. Nevertheless, it is an ongoing study, and the owners promise things will improve.
As an individual, I am conflicted with the idea. Both sides give valid points. I lean more towards the side that argues that this is the new future. We all know the idea of the dystopian future. This is the surface level of what the future could hold. There are definitely risks, but we take risks every day. For example, we use headphones even though it’s been proven that they could explode in our ears due to their batteries. Another example is phones. When placed under a pillow, radioactive waves and discomfort can be caused while sleeping. Risks are taken every time we advance society.
