Psychiatry & Psychotherapy Podcast

IS ELON MUSK’S NEURALINK A SCIENCE FICTION HORROR SHOW OR THE SALVATION OF HUMANITY?

08.21.2019 - By David Puder, M.D.Play

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play

One of the more controversial components of the Neuralink presentation was Musk’s inclusion of his beliefs about the future of humanity and artificial intelligence. During the press release he stated one of his goals was to create the ability to achieve a “full symbiosis with artificial intelligence,” essentially removing the “existential threat of AI” which he believes will one day “leave us behind” (Neuralink, 2019). This goal has been met with a bit more skepticism, especially by the national media, than the medical applications of Neuralink’s BMI. Forbes describes it as “a bit more fantastical” than the company’s primary goal of treating brain disorders (Knapp, 2019). Other publications have been far less kind, such as The Atlantic, which published its coverage of the Neuralink press release with the title: “Elon Musk’s Next Wild Promise: If someone is going to revolutionize what it means to be human, do we want it to be a tech titan?” (Mull, 2019). Although the New York Times surmised that “one of the biggest challenges may be for his scientists to match his grand vision,” (Markoff, 2019), it serves as a good example of what most major media outlets have chosen to do: stick to the facts.     Link to full article with details on up to date research and more: here Engage in the dialogue on Dr. Puder’s Instagram, Facebook, Twitter  

More episodes from Psychiatry & Psychotherapy Podcast