• QUESTION: It is read that a company of Elon Musk has implanted computer interfaces in the human brain. Does it affect the entire human community? What are its consequences and risks? – Eric Thomas
• ANSWER: Saji Mathew Kanayankal CST

The new development in Neuralink is both fascinating and frightening as it may lead to new heights in the history of humanity. As per the reports of last January, Neuralink, a company owned and managed by Elon Musk has implanted computer interfaces in a patient. The first product of the company is named ‘Telepathy’ that allows a human to control a phone or computer “just by thinking,” claims Mr Musk. In a recent report, (Reuters, February 20, 2024) Musk claims that the first human patient implanted brain chip from Neuralink is fully recovered and the person can control the mouse through thinking. The details of the patient and other whereabouts are not yet revealed. The technical term for this new nanotechnology is Brain-Machine Interfaces (BCI), which means ‘link between a brain and a machine.’ It implies placing a small, cosmetically invisible electrode implant in a part of the brain that plans movements. The device is designed to interpret a person’s neural activity, so they can operate a computer or smartphone by simply intending to move – no wires or physical movement are required. It is a kind of enhancement to the nervous system. The electrodes inserted in the human brain give the ability to read and write the brain to allow humans to communicate and control many devices.
There are many companies applied for BCI and Musk has not revealed the details of the implant or its working method. It can be a business secret and there is a possibility to use different methods by different companies to implant the chip. Some argue that the insertion is possible even without any surgery. As per the details of the Neuralink company website, the first clinical trial is opened for people with limited or no use of both hands due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – a neurological disorder that affects nerve cells. The next step of its development is to connect human brains to computers to help tackle complex neurological conditions. Though initially the aim is to control the personal phone or computer, or like any device just by thinking, the possibilities are opened to many other fields. It is one of the most significant contributions in the areas of human enhancement and therapy.

Brain Enhancing System
The most important contribution of the BCI is to the functions of the brain. The new development in BCI can bring huge benefits to society by providing human beings with more knowledge and wider freedom by connecting their brains directly to computers so that they can think faster and clearer than before. By using this technology, the cognitive abilities of a person can be increased through cognitive training interventions, in which learners perform cognitive tasks. This better connectivity allows them to communicate freely with machines without the support of any external devices like touch screens or keyboards, which means humans can control the machines without hands or voices, a well-advanced stage of present Information Technology. The thoughts are sufficient enough to reach out to the machines. As the gap between humans and machines is narrowing, this system allows gesture and voice input to create unique and intuitive ways for users to interact with computers. With this technology, the mind of a person can be easily read by a computer without any help from an external device. By allowing our brain to connect directly to the computer, one will be able to receive vast amounts of information at any time. Similarly, it helps one to improve cognitive capacity by recalling memory and recording new information faster. Thus, it helps human beings to remember more and better, learn faster, make better decisions, and solve problems without biases.
Similarly, this also helps to improve the quality of group activities. When a group of people are engaged in the same activity like air traffic control, piloting, and long-distance driving, monitoring and controlling become much easier and simpler, and the cognitive load of a task can be shared among members of a group. By creating a Brain-to-Brain Interface (BBI, a link could be created between two brains which may increase the overall human performance. The workload can be shared among participants depending on their current performance. This can be applied in controlling aerial vehicles, cyber defence, or teaming with computers during military missions.
Another important area is the enhancement in the communication field. The device will be capable of storing memories as repositories and people will have the ability to go back and revisit the memory and change the mood on demand. Through this “non-linguistic consent consensual conceptual telepathy,” if someone who organises a meeting forgets some strategy, by using Neuralink, one of the colleagues can connect to the person and he can tell what the one has forgotten. The searching, processing and analysing of data of the information become faster which enables to make quick judgements with more clarity and precision. The decision-making process of humans will assuredly change, and this will also affect behaviour. It is expected that this technology will soon be available in much cheaper and lighter devices and humanity will benefit with better health, better memory and better concentration.

Radical Changes in the Medical Field
The proponents of Neuralink argue that it will enhance the therapeutic field especially to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities. It can be a most effective treatment method for spinal cord injuries, wherein they can be allowed to dexterously control a digital mouse and keyboard directly with their brains. Similarly, this is also helpful for the replacement of body parts. A bionic limb, e.g., an arm, detects small naturally generated signals when the user flexes their residual limb muscles. The bionic limb is then able to convert them into hand movement. BCI can also help disabled people to communicate better and control devices with their brain thinking activity. This device can transmit the inner speech activity of the brain into an external speaker device for people who suffer from speaking problems and illnesses.
This method is very useful to tackle complex neurological conditions. With the assistance of BCI, brain diseases that promote dysfunction of the synaptic communication system can be diagnosed in a better way. By its application, people with disabilities can have a higher quality of life, through direct mental control of a computer. It also helps the paralyzed to control their bodies, the blind to see again and the deaf to listen. This new technology is also helpful in memory loss, dementia, epilepsy, brain injury, autism, Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases like depression and schizophrenia. The overall impact will be the reduction of suffering from human life and when suffering is diminished, our view on diseases may change drastically.

The Risks and Hazards
Even though there are many advantages to the use of BCI, its risks and challenges are high. Access to the brain system of a person has many hazards. Whether ‘enhancement’ is an increase or a reduction, or if enhancement is necessary at all is a debatable question. Apart from the risks related to the programme, the physical, psychological and social impacts are to be considered. As per the presently available data, about 3072 electrodes per array with 32 electrodes per bundle are inserted by a robot in the BCI system. There are many safety issues such as infections and distortions of neurons, tissues and blood vessels, or reactions of the immune system in the process of insertion. The human brain is very sensitive and even a small injury on it can cause permanent damage or death. Similarly, the human brain is not prepared to deal with the huge amount of information brought by the technology. Augmenting the capabilities of the human brain beyond what we are currently capable of doing, definitely affects the personal life as well as professional life. Moreover, more interactions with machines will diminish social interactions.
Another important alarming area is the question of the right of privacy. The BCI can collect a large amount of physical and neural biodata which will be a great challenge to the privacy of individuals. Generally, people do not like to reveal their inner thoughts to someone. But it is not clear, by implanting the chip whether a person is forced to reveal all his/her inner thoughts to the system. Or whether he/she had certain control over his/her brain by which what is needed only is to be revealed. If a system can understand what is going on within, how safe a person will be? What will be the condition of the privacy of persons? Transparent access to thoughts could modify people’s behaviour and affect their well-being. This kind of mental surveillance would undoubtedly create psychological harm.
Apart from the systematic and calculated thinking, sensory experiences and feelings as well as the very private thoughts of an individual also be easily communicated in BCI. Once the thought of a person can be accessed, companies may use it for their marketing purpose, which may have far-reaching consequences. Once there is access to the thoughts, it is very easy for a company to manipulate and exploit them. Similarly, politicians also can easily manipulate by directly sending their ideologies to the brains of the people blocking some of the information they are supposed to receive.
Once there is access to the inner core of persons the government can regulate its projects and programmes accordingly. For example, when BCI is active, the governments can easily understand the behaviour of people by direct interaction. They can compel citizens to use the chip which can be used to control their life, behaviours and thought patterns. The governments would use these technologies to reduce their public health bill by directly influencing people in many ways. In the same manner, the autocratic government can control or manipulate the behaviour of people. There is also the possibility that the government can take action against someone who thinks against the government.
It is also observed that BCI challenges the very essence of what it means to be human because by promoting bodily and cognitive characteristics, human beings may reach a post-human stage. With its use, one loses of the sense of self. The implants can make a vital difference for some people whereas some others may entirely reject them. By implanting BCI, an enhancement will take in our natural bodies, which may have autonomy in some sense. However, on the other hand, when we fail to use our natural bodily functions, our ability may lose slowly which may further lead to an increased dependence on technology.
Though there are many risks and hazards, this technology has many benefits and advantages as we have seen. As Paul Virilio says, “When you invent the ship, you also invent the shipwreck; when you invent the plane you also invent the plane crash; and when you invent electricity, you invent electrocution… Every technology carries its own negativity, which is invented at the same time as technical progress.” The technology is well-progressed and applied to human beings. The question of whether it leads to enhancement or extinction is left to the way how we use it.