Elon Musk announces success of implanting a brain chip in first human

Elon Musk, founder of Neuralink, said that the first human patient underwent a brain chip implant produced by the startup company on Sunday, and that he is recovering well.

He added in a post on the social media platform X, Monday, that “The preliminary results show that an increase in nerve cells has been detected in a promising manner.”

The National Institute of Health describes neurons as cells that use electrical and chemical signals to send information through the brain and to the body.

Last year, the US Food and Drug Administration granted the company a permit to conduct its first experiment to test the implantation of the chip in a human brain. Musk confirmed that the Neuralink chip will be called “Telepath.”

Neuralink reported on its website that the chip enables people with quadriplegia to control devices with their thoughts. Neuralink has faced calls for scrutiny regarding its safety protocols.

Reuters reported this month that the relevant authorities fined the company for violating US Department of Transportation rules regarding the transport of hazardous materials. The company’s value was estimated at about five billion dollars last June.

In late November, four lawmakers asked the US Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate whether Musk had misled investors about the safety of his technology after veterinary records showed problems with implanting the chip in the brains of monkeys, including paralysis and brain swelling.