Elon Musk's brain chip startup recruiting human volunteers for study

Elon Musk’s brain chip startup Neuralink said Wednesday it began recruiting for its first human trials.

Neuralink received permission in May from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to test its technology on humans, which the company hopes can help people with brain disorders and spinal injuries.

“We’re excited to announce that recruitment is open for our first-in-human clinical trial,” Neuralink posted on X/Twitter.

The study will assess the safety of both the wireless chip and the surgical robot used to implant it in the brain. If successful, subjects will be able to control a computer cursor or keyboard using only their thoughts.

Musk has also expressed hopes that it can help those with obesity, depression, autism, and schizophrenia, and claimed the devices are so safe that he would even use his children as test subjects.

The ultimate goal, though, is to eventually augment the ability of humans in order to allow them to compete with advanced artificial intelligence. Implanted chips could provide “enhanced abilities” like greater reasoning and improved vision while enabling people to perform previously impossible tasks like streaming music directly to their brains.

Neuralink, founded in 2016, has said its study will take about six years.