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- Elon Musk’s Neuralink implanted in second patient 🧠
Elon Musk’s Neuralink implanted in second patient 🧠
ALSO: Novo Nordisk Foundation and Cleveland Clinic launch AI program, EEG-AI enables neurologists to detect early signs of dementia, AI to reduce unnecessary biopsies in prostate cancer diagnosis.
Victor Barthelemy
August 09, 2024
In partnership with
Welcome AI & Healthcare enthusiasts!
If you closely follow the AI and healthcare landscape, you may have come across the latest Lex Fridman podcast about Neuralink. The format was quite unusual, to say the least, as it spans over 8 hours of deep, technical conversation with Elon Musk and the Neuralink team. But let’s be honest—who has that kind of time?
Well, apparently I do! 😁 And I’m excited to share with you a more condensed version of it, highlighting the most important updates and insights. I hope this summary will give you a fascinating look into the future of AI, brain-computer interfaces, and even humanity itself.
Let’s dive into it!
Reading time: 8 hours 8 min
This 8 hours video is actually a series of 5 interviews done by tech podcaster Lex Fridman.
These five interviews were with:
Elon Musk, CEO of Neuralink (among other big tech companies like Tesla, SpaceX, Boring Company…)
DJ See, COO and President of Neuralink
Matthew MacDougall, Neuralink’s Head Neurosurgeon
Bliss Chapman, Brain Interface Software Lead at Neuralink
Noland Arbaugh, First Human Patient to Receive a Neuralink Device
I’ve broken it down by summarizing each interview individually, so you can easily digest the key takeaways from each conversation.
Elon Musk Reveals Progress on Neuralink’s Second Human Patient
First Human Implants:
Neuralink has successfully implanted its devices in two human patients this year. The second implant reportedly has over 400 electrodes providing signals, already a major improvement over the first implant.
“I don’t want to jinx it, but it seems to have gone extremely well with the second implant, so there's a lot of signal, a lot of electrodes. It's working very well. ”
Musk aims to complete a total of 10 implants by the end of the year (so 8 more) depending on regulatory approvals.
Medical Applications:
The current focus is on treating neurological damage, such as paralysis or blindness. Musk mentioned a project called Blindsight to enable completely blind people to see by directly stimulating the visual cortex.
Potential applications include treating conditions like schizophrenia and memory loss.
Future Ambitions:
Musk aims not only to restore normal functions in patients but also to enhance them: “Why not give people superpowers?”
Enhanced Vision: High-resolution vision and the ability to see in different wavelengths (e.g., infrared, ultraviolet)
Enhanced Memory: Recovering lost memories or improving the formation of new ones
Sensory Enhancement: Stimulating neurons to trigger specific sensory experiences (smells, emotions), enabling new ways to interact with the world
Telepathy: Elon Musk envisions the possibility of telepathic-like communication through Neuralink. He suggests that in the coming years, communication bandwidth between two people with Neuralink implants could increase dramatically.
"Maybe if like five years from now, we might be at a megabit, like faster than any human could possibly communicate by typing or speaking."
The long-term goal is to improve Human-AI symbiosis by matching our communication bandwidth. Musk warns that without this, AI “will simply get bored waiting for you to spit out a few words.” “It’s like talking to a tree.”
Building the Future of AI:
xAI is Musk’s AI company that aims to unravel the mystery of the universe through exponential computation. He recently announced the establishment of one of the world’s largest supercomputers in Memphis, Tennessee, the “Gigafactory of Compute” which will be used to train Grok 3 (AI Chatbot competitor to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini..). It should be publicly available at the end of this year.
Musk also discussed the development of his first humanoid robot ‘Optimus’ from Tesla, noting that 50% of the engineering effort could be devoted to creating a human-like hand. Optimus will primarily be used to collect data for training AI systems, enhancing their capabilities over time. Musk envisions a future where there could be billions of humanoid robots, with Optimus playing a key role in advancing AI through real-world data collection.
Tesla Optimus humanoid robot playing with an egg
"The hand might be, it might be close to half of all the engineering in Optimus. From an electromechanical standpoint, the hand is probably roughly half of the engineering."
How Neuralink Works? President DJ Seo Explains the Technology Behind the Vision
Biophysics of Neural Interfaces:
DJ Seo explains that the brain is composed of billions of neurons connected in dynamic networks, with neurons communicating through “voltage-gated ion channels” that allow the movement of charged ions. He describes these channels as “one of nature’s best inventions,” comparing them to modern transistors.
To capture precise neural signals, Neuralink’s electrodes must be very close to neurons.
“If you stand outside a stadium, you might hear the cheers but miss the details of the game. To really understand what’s happening, you need to place the microphone inside the stadium.”
How Neuralink Works:
Neuralink consists of three main components:
N1 Implant (The Link): A device that records neural signals using threads that are thinner than human hair, implanted into the brain’s cortical layer. Each implant includes 64 threads, with 16 electrodes per thread, totaling 1024 electrodes.
Surgical Robot (R1): Automates the delicate process of implanting these threads, avoiding blood vessels and placing electrodes with micron-level precision.
Neuralink Application (B1): Decodes the neural signals into actionable commands, such as moving a cursor. This is done wirelessly via Bluetooth.
“Our implant is actually a two-part system. The threads are inserted into the cortical layer, and the rest of the device handles signal processing and communication wirelessly.”
Lex handling N1 implant. Each of these 64 threads have 16 electrodes attached
Updates on the go: Like a Tesla car, Neuralink is designed to be upgradable. Seo mentions that in future procedures, they could “cut the threads or extract them” to replace or upgrade the implant.
Safety is paramount at Neuralink: The flexible design of implants and the tiny threads minimize tissue damage and immune response.
We have an entire department, pathology, that looks at these tissue slices to confirm the safety and effectiveness of our implants.
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“The Simplest Neurosurgery Imaginable”
Dr. MacDougall Explores the Human-Robot Synergy Behind Neuralink Implants
Dr. Matthew MacDougall (left), R1 robot surgeon (right)
Neuralink Implantation Procedure:
The Neuralink implantation procedure is described as relatively simple and low-risk compared to other brain surgeries. It involves making a small hole in the skull and inserting flexible electrode threads into the brain's motor cortex.
Dr. MacDougall handles the initial surgical steps, such as making the incision, while a robot precisely inserts the tiny electrodes into the brain, skillfully avoiding blood vessels—a task that would be extremely challenging for a human.
"The human part of the surgery that I do is dead simple. It's one of the most basic neurosurgery procedures imaginable…I do the parts it can't do, and it (the robot) does the parts I can't do."
Surgical preparation:
Neuralink has developed highly realistic models for surgical practice, including a pulsating brain in a custom 3D-printed skull matching the patient's anatomy.
Implanting Neuralink on self:
When discussing the safety and reliability of Neuralink implants, Dr. MacDougall didn’t hesitate to express his confidence in the technology, even stating that he would be open to getting a Neuralink implant in his own brain.
"On safety grounds alone, sure. I'll do it tomorrow."
From Thought to Action: How Neuralink Decodes Intentions with Bliss Chapman
Intention vs Action:
A key discovery by the Neuralink team is that intention, rather than physical action, is the primary signal captured and decoded by the implant to control digital devices. This distinction is crucial because it allows for more immediate and fluid control.
"He said (Noland, patient 1) it moves before he is like actually intending it to, which is kind of a surreal thing and something that I would love to experience myself one day."
Latency:
Neuralink's system latency is currently about 22 milliseconds, which is faster than natural muscle control. This low latency coupled with direct neural control enables superhuman performance on tasks like cursor control.
AI and Brain Decoding:
The Neuralink team uses AI to translate brain signals into computer commands. However, it's not as simple as feeding data into a computer and getting perfect results. The quality of the data is crucial to ensure that the user’s intentions are accurately represented.
One of the biggest challenges is creating high-quality data that accurately represents what the user is trying to do. This involves clever design of the user experience and innovative ways of labeling data.
"I think it's data quality constrained, not necessarily data quantity constrained. [...] The direction I think of further improvement is primarily going to be in the dataset side."
Future developpement:
The next Neuralink version will have 3000 to 6000 channels, up from the current 1024. This increase could provide more detailed neural information, potentially solving current challenges and opening new possibilities for BCI functionality.
Inside the Mind of Noland, the First Patient with a Neuralink Device Implanted in his Brain
Noland playing Civilisation VI with his thoughts thanks to Neuralink
Noland’s Story:
Noland Arbaugh, paralyzed from a diving accident in 2016, became the first human to receive a Neuralink implant earlier this year. Approaching the surgery with excitement and confidence, he embraced the opportunity to be a pioneer.
“There's something about being the first one to do something. It's pretty cool.”
Controlling a Mouse with His Mind:
Noland describes the moment he transitioned from attempting physical movement to purely mental control of a cursor, calling it a pivotal experience.
"When I moved the cursor for the first time with just my mind, without like physically trying to move…I looked over, and the cursor just shot over. It was wild. I had to take a step back. I was like, 'This should not be happening.'
His Journey as a Gamer:
An avid gamer, Noland enjoys strategy games like Civilization and Chess. With Neuralink, he can now play these games using only his mind to control the cursor.
He even competes on Webgrid, a game designed to measure BCI performance, where his current score is 9.5, comparable to the average performance of able-bodied individuals using a mouse.
Webgrid is a free game that anyone can try. Will you beat Noland? (I scored 9.1 using a Macbook trackpad, good luck!)
The Future of Neuralink Capabilities:
Noland is excited about the future potential of Neuralink, particularly its applications in restoring vision for the blind and addressing other neurological conditions.
"The vision one is fascinating to me. I think that is going to be very, very cool. To give someone the ability to see for the first time in their life would just be, I mean it, it might be more amazing than even helping someone like me."
Controlling an Optimus Robot:
Noland also envisions a future where he could control a Tesla Optimus robot through Neuralink, allowing him to regain physical interaction with the world.
“If an Optimus robot could do that, I could live an incredibly independent life and not be such a burden on those around me, and it would change the way people like me live.”
This wraps up the summary of the Lex Fridman Podcast with the Neuralink team. If you found this content valuable, consider supporting Lex by subscribing to his YouTube Channel.
You can also listen to its podcast on Spotify.
Must-Read AI Healthcare News This Week
Research: The Novo Nordisk Foundation and Cleveland Clinic have launched a postdoctoral fellowship program to advance the use of quantum technologies and AI in biomedical research.
Pharmacology: Researchers at Uppsala University recently used AI to accurately predict 3D structures of receptors linked to schizophrenia and depression treatments and speed up possible treatment strategies.
Drug Discovery: Healx, an AI-enabled drug discovery platform focused on rare diseases, raised $47 million in a Series B round to accelerate the development of treatments for conditions with limited therapeutic options.
Neurology: AI enhances the accuracy and speed of EEGs, enabling neurologists to detect early signs of dementia more precisely. The EEG-AI combo may be a quicker first exam than brain imaging, lab testing or cognitive batteries. It’s under development at Mayo Clinic.
Oncology: Researchers at DKFZ are exploring AI’s potential to reduce unnecessary biopsies in prostate cancer diagnosis.
Regulation: AI app claiming to diagnose STIs from penis pictures shut down after FTC scrutiny.
Reproductive Health: A new AI method predicts male infertility by analyzing hormone levels, offering a less invasive alternative to semen analysis.
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