What are the possible implications of Elon Musk’s Neuralink project?

So firstly, let’s talk about what Neuralink is actually going to be. I’ve read a lot of articles that really go into the minutiae of Neuralink, and the one thing I’ve concluded is that in order to understand it, we’re going to have to stay big picture. So, in essence, the Neuralink will effectively allow our brains to connect to the internet and other computer code. We’ll be able to interact with a computer, and the AI that runs it, without having to touch it.

Now, I’m sure that you agree that this is the kind of technology that will change our lives considerably. So let’s run through some possible implications of this amazingly ambitious technology.

The implications on communication

Imagine if we were able to talk to each other without actually talking to each other. Not only would this be inherently cool, it would also allow us to communicate at ridiculously high speeds. When we talk to each other using our mouths we follow a ridiculously complicated process. Your brain connects to your nervous system which connects to your vocal cords which produce sound which travels through air, into the other person’s ear which connects to their nervous system and then into their brain. Neuralink effectively trims down the process to your brain connects to the other person’s brain. On top of this, computers are able to process information much more quickly than we can, so the rate of communication would be able to increase.

The medical implications

Degenerative brain diseases could be a thing of the past with Neuralink. It could provide memory enhancement for those struggling with dementia or even repair brain injuries for those who have suffered a stroke. Blindness and deafness could be eradicated, no one would have to wear glasses anymore because everyone would automatically have 20:20 vision.

The data implications

The data revolution has already exponentially increased the power of analytics. The frequency that we use online services means that we can track where customers go, what they like and what products they are likely to buy. But, when our minds are connected to computers, then this opens up several new doors in the analytics world. We’ll be able to track behaviours like never before.

The ‘Total Recall’ implications

This one’s a bit insane but hear me out. If the Neuralink can record the way your brain responds to certain experiences, then it could also replicate those experiences in other brains. So your adrenaline junkie friend Johnny, may do a skydive, and you think, I’d quite like to experience the adrenaline of a skydive but without actually jumping out of a plane. Well now you can! Your neuralink might be able to record the synaptic responses in Johnny’s brain and then replicate them in yours.

The ‘The Matrix’ implications

In the not-so-distant future, when we’re all connected to each other through Neuralink chips, we could all end up living in a virtual world where nothing is real and unbeknownst to us, we’re all actually housed in eerie glass pods living our lives entirely through our minds. I mean, this probably won’t happen, but I figured I’d explore all the possibilities…

Whatever the implications of Neuralink, it’s clear that Elon Musk’s latest project will play a huge part in shaping the future. Coding could be coming out of the computer and into our craniums!