DAILY STAR
The mixing of brain cells with artificial intelligence by Elon Musk’s Neuralink raises a moral question about interference in “God’s design”, one doctor has questioned.
The Tesla tycoon got the go-ahead to launch a six-year clinical trial involving humans on Tuesday, September 19, and is looking to recruit paralysed volunteers. The company is particularly interested in people who suffering from spinal column injuries and the deadly motor neuron disease ALS, reports Popular Science.
Musk has previously claimed that his brain-computer interface “will enable someone with paralysis to use a smartphone with their mind faster than someone using thumbs” but has been met by a tidal wave of criticism, especially over the fate of animal test subjects he used.
The Tesla boss’ aim is for the person’s thoughts to control a computer cursor or keyboard, using a chip in the person’s brain – but Dr. Theodore Karasik, a senior adviser to Gulf State Analytics in Washington, thinks this could be “a step too far”.
The research would involve combining HBO, lab grown brain tissue, with AI. Writing for Arab News, he said that he recognises that people with Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy “benefit from HBO (human brain organoids) and AI research”.
However, should the research be carried out on someone not suffering from a pre-existing condition then Musk could be playing God and tampering with mother nature. “There is a moral question about interfering in nature’s path by applying technology,” he said.
