"This scares me...": Netizens react to Elon Musk's announcement about first human receiving Neuralink implant

On January 29, Elon Musk announced through a post on X that the first human to have received the controversial Neuralink implant is recovering from the surgery. The FDA gave the green light to human trials for the chip last year, and it appears that the first person already received it in a surgery that occurred yesterday.

Musk has been pushing the Neuralink chip for years, going on talk shows and advocating for its advantages through social media. Much like how the initial news of it being approved by the authorities, some have expressed sharp disapproval of the whole experiment now that human trials are ongoing.

Internet personality Joey Mannarino in his response to Musk, wrote that the prospect was scary, while also wondering about the use case for the implant:

"This definitely scares me… I’m really curious what the use case will end up being for this."

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Elon Musk reveals first Neuralink product called Telepathy

The Neuralink implant is essentially a chip that will allow people to interface with other electronics such as smartphones, desktops, and laptops by transmitting signals straight from the brain where it is implanted to the device in question. The futuristic technology has been hailed by many as the next big step in tech innovation while others have deemed it too dangerous.

Concerns about the brain chip skyrocketed a couple of years ago when news reports suggested animal trials on monkeys had gone wrong. Rumors and conspiracy theories about several thousands of monkeys dying as a result of the implant went viral over social media, but readers should note that the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved the use of the device in human trials on May 25, 2023.

As for the specific use of the device, Elon Musk made another post on X hours after the initial announcement claiming that one of the first products from Neuralink will be called "Telepathy." He also gave a brief explanation of what it will do, stating that it will allow users to interface with smartphones and other gadgets "just by thinking."

According to the billionaire, the product will first be rolled out to people who do not have access to limbs and gave the example of Stephen Hawking being able to communicate with the speed of an auctioneer as a reference.

As mentioned before, the subject of Neuralink divides a large number of people, and the news of human trials has been both praised and met with disapproval. Here are some general reactions to his post on X.

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It is still unclear as to when the Neuralink implants will be out for the public, but considering human trials have started, the day might not be far when people will be able to get chips implanted in their brains, allowing them to do a multitude of functions by just "thinking."