Musk’s brain implant vision criticized by experts

Researchers have criticized Elon Musk for claiming that his brain implant technology could eventually provide superior vision compared to normal human sight. Musk’s company, Neuralink, has promised implants that can restore sight to the blind, and Musk recently touted the product, called ‘Blindsight,’ to his 190 million followers on X. He stated that while the initial resolution would be low, it could ultimately exceed human vision.

However, Ione Fine, a psychology professor at the University of Washington, called Musk’s claims ‘dangerous.’ Fine co-authored a paper using ‘virtual patients’ to model how such implants might work and argued that their impact would be limited by human biology. She emphasized that high-resolution vision cannot be achieved simply by implanting millions of tiny electrodes into the visual cortex, as the process involves creating a complex ‘neural code’ across thousands of cells.

Fine explained that engineers often mistakenly view electrodes as producing pixels, but the biological process of creating images in the brain is far more intricate. She stressed that scientists are not close to discovering the correct neural code in blind individuals, indicating that the effectiveness of these implants would be restricted.

She also highlighted the vulnerability of individuals who become blind later in life and warned against making bold promises about technological advancements. Fine concluded that Musk’s statements about achieving a vision better than human sight could give false hope and are, therefore, dangerous.