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Yesterday Elon Musk took to the stage to showcase the advances and vision of Neuralink. The conference featured animal test subjects that have had the implant installed in their brains doing remarkable feats. There were monkeys playing video games, using the English language properly, and navigating computer technology efficiently. As the presentation was completed, Musk stated he expects the FDA will approve human trials within the next six months.
The vision of Neuralink is to revolutionize the human condition in ways that have never been possible. If you are unable to walk, Neuralink believes it will restore spinal communication and enable bipedal motion again. Those that are born blind can expect that vision will be granted for the first time in their lives. All neurological conditions where neurons and nerve fibers need to communicate may be restored in the future.
This leads to an unpopular question in a society obsessed with benchmarks in the name of progress. At what point will scientists decide some things in life are part of the human experience?
We are developing vaccines and therapeutics at warp speed. We are learning that drugs that have been prescribed for four decades do not work as we once thought. Science changes daily. New revelations write new understandings. Do we understand what it means to be human?