Elon Musk is no stranger to artificial intelligence (AI).
He’s vocal about the dangers that AI poses to humanity’s existence. But at the same time, he’s pushing full steam ahead with his own AI inventions.
That includes spending over $1 billion on a supercomputer to train AI models so that Tesla vehicles can drive themselves without human intervention.
And he’s venturing into generative AI popularized by OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Those chatbots can do things like hold a conversation with people and automate tasks.
Musk even launched a new company called xAI in July. It’s stacked with AI experts to focus on developing even more applications.
But there’s another AI area that Musk and other billionaires are pursuing that’s going by mostly unnoticed… And it’s one that could literally end up in your head.
It’s a new frontier that could allow your thoughts to seamlessly interact with a computer. While that may sound like the plot of a sci-fi movie, several of the world’s billionaires are racing ahead to do just that.
It’s not just Musk. Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates are plowing their own money into this AI field. And it points to a bigger opportunity that’s just getting underway.
Sci-fi is Becoming Reality
Back in May, Musk’s secretive company Neuralink received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Neuralink got the green light to start human clinical trials… for a computer chip that’s attached to the surface of the brain.
That chip then connects wirelessly with a host of external electronic devices. Its aim is to record the signals coming from the brain.
It’s called a brain-computer interface (BCI). And Neuralink’s goal in clinical trials is to see if its BCI computer chip can turn a person’s thoughts into commands that a computer can understand.
It seems wild, but here’s something else surprising about Neuralink’s announcement…
It’s years behind the first company to start BCI trials. That’s because one company has already implanted its BCI device in human patients. That company’s name is Synchron.
Synchron was the first to receive FDA approval for trials of its own BCI chip in people. It just finished enrolling patients for the first U.S. clinical trial. And there’s a human trial already underway in Australia.
Synchron’s backers include Gates and Bezos, and it’s also getting fast-tracked by the government.
That’s because the FDA granted Synchron the first ever “investigational device exemption.”
That exemption removes some of the red tape for conducting studies. Before that, it was recognized as a breakthrough device in order to expedite the FDA’s review.
And there’s a good reason why the government and billionaires alike are racing ahead with BCI.
AI’s Merger with Humanity
The brain is the most efficient computing device we know of. It performs an exaflop worth of calculations every second. An exaflop is a billion-billion (or a one followed by 18 zeroes).
In other words, there’s a lot happening in our brains in just one second. It’s a treasure trove of data. And that’s the point of BCI.
Those implanted BCI chips will collect data generated by the brain. AI and machine learning algorithms will decode all the data those chips collect.
AI will help the implants learn different brain signals and thoughts… turning those into computer commands. That will allow man and machine to be integrated as one.
Now, you might think this is a science fiction nightmare come true.
But the reality is there is a noble use for this. Because the patients enrolled for studies suffer from debilitating diseases that cause paralysis.
With BCI, they can use their smartphones again to text loved ones or browse the internet.
In fact, Synchron has already showcased BCI use on social media.
Phil, a Synchron patient, was the first person to post on Twitter (now X) using a BCI chip.
Essentially, he was able to tweet with his mind.
But what this shows is that BCI is already here. And it’s just the beginning.
A $100 Billion Overhaul
BCI, one day, could even enable the use of robotic limbs. We can only speculate the other applications of BCI as it develops.
So, while Musk’s warnings of AI’s threat to humans and chatbots get all the attention… BCI is just one example of how AI is overhauling the medical field to help people live better lives.
By one estimate, AI will unlock as much as $110 billion of additional value across pharmaceutical and other medical products.
It’s why editor Nomi Prins is following the AI megatrend closely. In fact, she says President Biden… key members of Congress… the FDA…
As well as some of her former investment-banking colleagues who fund big operations in Silicon Valley…
Just set in motion what could be one of the most lucrative trends we’ll see over the next 12 to 24 months.
And she’s hosting an urgent market briefing on Tuesday, December 12 at 8 p.m. ET to share the details. It’s called Wall Street and Washington’s Unfair AI Investment Advantage Exposed.
At the briefing, she’ll zero in on a rising AI sector primed for explosive growth. And she’ll give you her playbook to take advantage.
Click here to RSVP instantly, and join Nomi on Tuesday, December 12.
Regards,
Clint Brewer
Analyst, Inside Wall Street with Nomi Prins