Billionaire Elon Musk Hopes to Merge Human Brains With Computers

Photo: iStock/PRPhotos

The chasm between humans and computers may soon be narrowing if billionaire futurist Elon Musk has anything to say about it.

The innovator, entrepreneur, and tech guru launched a new medical research company late last year called Neuralink aimed at connecting the human brain to connect through a physical interface, according to a report this week in the Wall Street Journal.

The technology his company is developing is called “neural lace,” which may sound like it belongs on a Victoria’s Secret shelf but actually involves implanting electrodes into the brain, allowing one to upload and download their thoughts to a computer. In addition to helping humans communicate with computers, this could permit people to “achieve higher levels of cognitive function,” according to Business Insider’s characterization of the report.

Musk teased forthcoming Neuralink updates on Monday via Twitter:

Long Neuralink piece coming out on @waitbutwhy in about a week. Difficult to dedicate the time, but existential risk is too high not to.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 28, 2017

As mind-blowing as this development may sound to some, the King of All Media all but predicted the human-computer melding on Monday’s Stern Show during his conversation with “Ghost in the Shell” star Scarlett Johansson.

Howard revealed he has been obsessed with mind swap, a.k.a. putting the human brain in a robot body, since he was a kid. “This is where we’re headed,” he told the actress.

Click here for more on the Elon Musk story. Click here for more of Howard’s conversation with Scarlett Johansson.