Neuralink- A Minefield Of Scientific And Ethical Concerns

Context: 

This editorial is based on the news “Elon Musk’s Neuralink is a minefield of scientific and ethical concerns” which was published in the Indian Express. Recently, Elon Musk announced that the first human implantation of the Neuralink device, called Telepathy, has been achieved and the recovery and initial data collection are in progress and going well. 

What Is Neuralink?

• An Implantable Device: It is a tech startup and their proprietary chip is a surgically implantable device. 
• Decoding the Intentions: It can record a massive amount of data from individual neurons and transmit it to a computer, which in turn can read the intention coded in that data to execute a certain task.
• For Betterment of Needy Persons: The first human application is intended to return the ability to control digital devices to special-needs individuals through thought and intention. 
• A Short-Term Goal: This is part of the project’s short-term goal bringing back functionality for a clinically and neurologically disabled population, which probably also aided their fundraising endeavours. 

Arising Challenges On Neuralink Technology

• Medical & Legal Issues: When the device has to be surgically implanted in the brain of a human being, more critical scrutiny is required. 
  • There are disturbing reports of monkeys dying from surgeries and ethical breaches that then disappeared quickly from public discourse. 
• On Efficiency: The efficiency of the recording decays over time. 
• Ethical Concerns: A primary ethical concern is the ownership of the data. There is no clarity on who the recorded data belongs to, which will be decoded to interpret the “intentions” of a person to control a digital device. 
  • Right to Privacy: The ethics of data ownership is extremely important to settle from the get-go. Any wrong precedent here can endanger human agency and privacy at an unprecedented scale.

Conclusion

The invention is unique and a revolution for disabled/special need persons, however, it has few concerns that need to be addressed. There is a need to work upon data transparency to instil confidence and trust among all.