Neuralink implants brain chip in 1st human, says Elon Musk

WASHINGTON

US tech billionaire Elon Musk announced Monday that his startup company Neuralink had implanted a brain chip in a human for the first time.

"The first human received an implant from @Neuralink yesterday and is recovering well. Initial results show promising neuron spike detection," Musk said on X, without identifying the patient.

He said the first Neuralink product is called "Telepathy."

It "enables control of your phone or computer, and through them almost any device, just by thinking. Initial users will be those who have lost the use of their limbs,” he said.

"Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a speed typist or auctioneer. That is the goal.”

Last year, Neuralink announced that it had received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its first-in-human clinical study of brain implants.

In 2016, Musk co-founded Neuralink to integrate the human brain with artificial intelligence (AI) by creating devices embedded in the brain to facilitate its merging with machines.

It is building devices that have the potential to help people with paralysis, the company says on its website.