Neuralink is one of many projects of Elon Musk – a special chip would be implanted under the skull and used to communicate the brain with the computer. According to a survey of Americans, not everyone thinks it’s a great idea.

People don’t want chips in their brains to improve their intelligence

Six years have passed since Neuralink was founded, and the latest polls indicate that the public is still not very interested in this futuristic possibility. Many people believe that this technology can be harmful to society. Pew Research has prepared a report that:

• 78% of U.S. adults personally would not want an implant to improve their IQ, even if it were widely available;
• 13% think it is a good idea for society as a whole;
• 56% say this technology will be harmful to humans;
• 57% of people are concerned that this could potentially widen the already large distance between people with high and low incomes.

Although few people would be willing to use cognitive implants extensively, there are circumstances in which they would be willing to use them. 60% of respondents said that a comfortable option for them would be the ability to turn the chip on and off. 53% would prefer that the whole process does not require surgery.

What about medical problems?

The situation would be slightly different if the chip were used to solve medical problems. The majority of respondents believe that they would work well in terms of increasing the movement of paralyzed people.

Neuralink is currently trying to develop a chip that could monitor a patient’s brain activity and potentially transmit neural signals to devices. The company says that in the near future, the ability to communicate directly with a patient’s brain could help paralyzed people control computers and phones with their minds, through an app that interacts with the implant. What’s more, Neuralink also hopes that the technology will treat a wide range of neurological disorders and restore certain sensory functions to patients.

Technological innovation is inevitable

Despite their aversion to brain implants, Americans have expressed a certain sense of the inevitability of technological innovation. Most of them believe that it is likely that implants will end up in human skulls before we understand exactly how they affect human health.

What do you think of Neuralink? Would you have a chip implanted in your brain?