AI-Powered Mind Control: How AI Is Linking The Brain To Reality

Welcome to this week’s Deep-fried Dive with Fry Guy! In these long-form articles, Fry Guy conducts an in-depth analysis of a cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) development or developer. Today, Fry Guy dives into the fascinating developments of Neuralink and AI-powered mind control. We hope you enjoy!

*Notice: We do not gain any monetary compensation from the people and projects we feature in the Sunday Deep-fried Dives with Fry Guy. We explore these projects and developers solely for the purpose of revealing to you interesting and cutting-edge AI projects, developers, and uses.*

Eight years ago, a freak accident left Noland Arbaugh paralyzed from the shoulders down. However, with the recent help of AI, he has been able to play his favorite games, message his friends, and rediscover his independence. This is all done through AI-powered mind control.

Let’s check out how this happened and what projects like this mean for the future of communication.

INTRODUCING AI-POWERED MIND CONTROL

It is estimated that 180,000 Americans live with quadriplegia, and each year, an additional ~18,000 suffer a paralyzing spinal cord injury. Neuralink, the brain child of Elon Musk, is on a quest to make life a bit easier for these people. The company states, “We live in a digital society where‬‭ much of our work, entertainment, and social lives rely heavily on our use of computers and‬‭ smart devices. People with quadriplegia often find that their needs to engage seamlessly with the digital world go unmet, leading to decreased independence, isolation, and financial challenges.” This is why they have made it their goal to “provide a high-performance interface that will enhance the control of digital devices for people with quadriplegia, unlocking their personal and professional potential.”

Last year, Neuralink won approval from the Food and Drug Administration to conduct its first human clinical study. It has been developing a brain implant that would allow people, including patients with severe paralysis, to control computers, phones, or other external devices using their thoughts. In January of this year, Noland Arbaugh became the first Neuralink patient.

Noland Arbaugh is a 29-year-old who was in a freak diving accident about eight years ago which led to a dislocation of his C4-C5 vertebrae. Since, he has been a quadriplegic, experiencing complete paralysis below the shoulders. His life since the accident has been turned upside down, as he has experienced a disassociation from some of his favorite activities, including video games and engaging in meaningful conversations with his friends and family. It was time for him to take a chance on change.

In January, Arbaugh received his Neuralink implant (Link) at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona. The operation included the installation of what’s called the N1 Implant into Arbaugh’s brain. According to Neuralink, “The N1 Implant is an intracortical brain-computer interface (BCI) implant designed to record neural activity through 1,024 electrodes distributed across 64 flexible leads, or ‘threads,’ each of which are thinner than a human hair and capable of being placed independently in the brain.” Because these threads are so thin, it makes them “impractical to manipulate by hand.” As a result, Neuralink had to create a surgical robot to perform the surgery. This robot is called the R1 Robot, and it is “designed to reliably and efficiently insert the threads into the cortex, so that the electrodes can be placed near neurons of interest.” From here, the N1 is able to wirelessly transmit neural data to a Neuralink Application, which translates the data into desired actions, such as cursor movements on a screen. The surgery on Arbaugh went seamlessly. In fact, it went so well that he was able to return home the very same day. And the results were shocking.

After receiving his Link, he was able to control his computer with his mind alone. Arbaugh explains, “It is like using the force on the cursor.” This allows him to play some of his favorite games, like chess and Mario Kart. It also allows him to better communicate with his friends and family. Arbaugh told Neuralink, “Y’all are giving me too much; it’s like a luxury overload. I haven't been able to do these things in 8 years and now I don’t know where to even start allocating my attention.”

Since receiving his Link, Arbaugh has felt less alienated from the world and less reliant on his friends and family. In short, he has regained a hold of his life. He explains, “[The Link] has helped me reconnect with the world, my friends, and my family. It’s given me the ability to do things on my own again without needing my family at all hours of the day and night.”

Since its implantation in its first human patient, the device has faced challenges, notably with electrode-studded threads retracting from the brain tissue. This issue caused a malfunction, impacting Arbaugh’s ability to control the computer cursor effectively. However, Neuralink swiftly responded, implementing software modifications to enhance signal sensitivity and improve cursor control accuracy. The unintended consequences of such technological experiments is scary, especially when dealing with the human brain. This malfunction illustrates how high-stakes these procedures are and how important it is to have the most advanced, reliable technology incorporated into the Links. It also displays the risks involved and adjustments that need to be made to achieve harmony between such powerful technology and the human brain.

Despite these brief setbacks, Arbaugh’s experience with the device has shown promising results. He can now control his laptop cursor with his mind, play online games, browse the internet, message friends, and more. Neuralink aims to further enhance cursor control performance and expand the device’s capabilities to include text entry and control of other technologies. Arbaugh’s optimism underscores the potential of this technology to transform the lives of individuals with paralysis, offering hope for improved functionality and independence. He states, “I think it [the technology] should give a lot of people a lot of hope for what this thing can do for them.”

POWER BEYOND NEURALINK

Arbaugh’s story highlights the transformative power of Neuralink’s AI technology for those struggling from quadriplegia. However, the power of AI to enhance the quality of life for those suffering from paralysis and related conditions extends beyond the efforts of Neuralink.

Researchers from UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley are working to refine a new BCI that could one day allow stroke survivors or those who suffer from conditions like ALS to communicate more naturally through a digital avatar that resembles a person. The breakthrough technology decodes a participant’s brain signals and turns them into text, speech, and facial expressions which are then displayed on a screen by a digital avatar. The research is currently being led by UCSF’s chair of neurological surgery, Edward Chang, MD.

Last year, a woman named Ann was the first to use this technology. Since suffering a stroke eighteen years ago, she has been unable to speak or communicate with facial expressions. This massively impacted her daily life and led to frustrating exchanges with loved ones, where they had no clue what she was trying to communicate. This left her, like Arbaugh and many others, feeling hopeless and isolated from the world. This all changed when she was hooked up to the groundbreaking BCI.

The project uses an electrocorticography grid attached to a pedestal and screwed to Ann’s skull. This technology is able to pick up on neural activity directly related to attempts to move her facial muscles and decodes it to speech and facial expressions on a digital avatar. So when Ann attempts to smile and say, for instance, “That is funny,” the technology can detect the neural activity which is unable to physically achieve it’s goal and portray the smile and sound on a digital avatar displayed on a screen. The technology was literally reading Ann’s mind! This allowed her to communicate vocally and visually with her loved ones for the first time in eighteen years.

A NEW WAY TO COMMUNICATE GOING FORWARD

Controlling your surroundings with your brain and being able to read minds sounds like stuff out of sci-fi thrillers. But in our tech-driven world, these activities are becoming a beautiful reality with the potential to help hundreds of thousands of people enhance their lives.

The transformative potential of projects like those of Neuralink and the UC researchers showcase the bright side of AI. When AI is put in the right hands and is used for good, it can become incredibly powerful, changing lives like Arbaugh’s and Ann’s. As this technology continues to advance and researchers find seamless applications for it, we will behold opportunities like never before. This will allow those who feel most alienated from society to interact with loved ones, communicate in ways they never thought possible, and ultimately take control of their lives. We have already come a long way, and this is just the beginning. As Chang states, “My hope is that this is going to be just a stepping stone to many other things that can be done for people who have lost the ability to communicate to realize their full potential.”