Musk Announces Successful Second Neuralink Implant, Aims for 10 Human Trials This Year and Massive Leap in Human Information Output Rate

Elon Musk Discloses Progress of Neuralink’s Second Human Subject

On August 2, local time,TeslaCEO Elon Musk shared on a podcast that his brain-computer interface company, Neuralink, has successfully implanted its device into the second human trial participant.

During the program, Musk revealed, “I don’t want to jump to conclusions too early, but the second implant appears to be progressing very smoothly. The signals are strong, there are many electrodes, and it is working very well.” Musk stated that the 400 implanted electrodes in the second patient’s brain are functioning. He predicted that within five years, the signal transmission speed of brain-computer interfaces will surpass that of human communication.

In Musk’s view, Neuralink could help ensure the safety of artificial intelligence. The slow speed of human communication inevitably weakens the connection between humans and computers. If the human output rate can be significantly increased, humans can better integrate human will with artificial intelligence. He believes that with the help of brain-computer interfaces, the human information output rate is expected to increase by three, six, or even more orders of magnitude.

He also predicted that Neuralink would provide implants to eight additional patients this year. In other words, Neuralink will complete a total of 10 clinical trial implantations of brain-computer interfaces in patients this year.

Regarding the second subject, Musk revealed that their spinal cord injury was similar to that of the first patient (who was paralyzed in a diving accident); however, he did not disclose further details about the second subject.

During the interview, Musk also addressed safety and regulatory issues concerning Neuralink. He emphasized that the company adheres to the gold standard in all its procedures to ensure safety and operates under the oversight of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Elon Musk did not disclose when Neuralink performed the surgery on the second participant. However, during a live stream on July 10 (local time), Musk revealed that Neuralink was expected to conduct the implant procedure on its second human patient the following week. He expressed hope that the number of participants this year would reach the high single digits and grow to several thousand within a few years. Musk emphasized that this expansion requires regulatory approval.

Neuralink, founded in 2016, primarily focuses on brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), aiming to achieve “human-brain–machine interaction” by developing implantable brain devices. Since its inception, the company has secured multiple rounds of funding. According to foreign media reports, Neuralink’s valuation had already exceeded $5 billion by June 2023.

On January 29 this year, Noland Arbaugh, the first human patient, received a Neuralink implant. Musk stated, “You can control your phone or computer, and through them, nearly any device, simply by thinking. The initial users will be those who have lost their limbs. Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a typist or an auctioneer. That is our goal.”

On February 20, during a SpaceX live-streamed event on X, Musk once again revealed new progress, stating that Arbaugh “appears to have made a full recovery, with no adverse effects known to us. The subject can move the cursor on a computer screen simply by thinking.”

However, on May 8, Neuralink disclosed that some of the wires implanted in Arbaugh’s brain tissue had become dislodged, impairing data transmission rates and causing partial data loss, which rendered the device inoperable.

During a live stream on July 10, Neuralink executives revealed that only about 15% of the channels in Arbaugh’s brain-computer interface were functioning properly. Despite this, Arbaugh continued to use the device to watch videos, read, play chess, and engage in other video games, with weekly usage sometimes reaching up to 70 hours. Adjustments are being made to address these hardware issues.

Responsible Editor: Liu Mingliang