IBM and Inclusive Brains, a leader in non-invasive neurotechnologies and multimodal artificial intelligence, have entered a joint study agreement to experiment with advanced AI and quantum machine learning techniques. The aim of the joint study is to boost the performance of multi-modal brain-machine interfaces (BMIs).

Innovation with Positive Social Impact
BMIs have the potential to enable individuals with disabilities—particularly those who have lost the ability to use their hands or voice—to leverage connected devices and digital environments to regain control of their surroundings, eliminating the need for vocal commands or physical operation of a keyboard, screen or mouse. Inclusive Brains aims to improve access to education and employment opportunities using the insights generated in the joint study. Beyond better inclusion of people with paralysis, Inclusive Brains aims to broader societal benefits, including improved prevention of both physical and mental health issues among the wider population thanks to enhanced classifications and therefore a better understanding of brain activity patterns.

Elon Musk, via its Neuralink company, is set to reveal a working device this Friday. Neuralink Corporation was started back in 2016 with the mission to develop a BMI (Brain-Machine Interface), ultimately allowing for integration of a computer with the human mind. Work has gone on in relative secrecy until now, but the announcement from Elon Musk shows that the company has been diligently working behind closed doors - as one would expect for such a fundamental technology. The first step is for Neuralink to serve as a "treatment" of sorts for brain diseases and assorted conditions. The device works by implanting threads into the brain, for which Neuralink is developing a "sewing machine-like" device that can manipulate and insert 4 to 6 μm in width threads throughout a recipient's brain (note that patient wasn't the word used there).

The basis behind Neuralink's foundation, and its ultimate goal, is the belief for a need for human augmentation (sometimes referred to as transhumanism). This aims to keep up with the increasingly entrenched Dataist interpretation of humankind, and the advent of increasingly complex algorithms - and even AI - throughout the sphere of our lives. Apart from showing off a working Neuralink prototype, which will supposedly demonstrate the ability to "fire neurons in real time", the company is unveiling a second-generation robot for sewing the threads into the brain. The objective is to develop flexible threads that circumvent currently-employed rigid threads in BMI interfaces, which always run the risk of damaging the brain. Eventually, this surgery will be non-invasive - an objective example is the workings of LASIK eye surgery. Being a Musk-backed project, lofty claims and unrealistic deadlines are aplenty; the company first expected to start human trials by the end of this year. For now, no more information on that milestone has been shared.