Elon Musk’s company, Neuralink, claims it has successfully implanted a device in the brain of a human subject who is recovering well. These devices are designed to enable severely disabled individuals to manipulate computers with their minds, moving cursors, typing, clicking, and so on. It’s the stuff of science fiction, but, like AI, it seems destined to become just another fact of life. The implications for society are huge, and there are considerations for communicators. Neville and Shel speculate about the concept and what it means for business and society in this short midweek episode.

Links from this episode:

• Neuralink
• Elon Musk’s Neuralink implants brain tech in human patient for the first time
• The Pros and Cons of Neuralink on Humans – Presence Secure
• Neuralink: Beyond the Hype and Into the Science
• The future of Neuralink: The boundless potential and the disadvantages of brain implants. – Cesova
• Neuralink: Debating the pros and cons of future tech
• The President’s Analyst (1967 film)
• Interface, by Stephen Bury (1995 novel)

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The next monthly, long-form episode of FIR will drop on Monday, February 26.

We host a Communicators Zoom Chat most Thursdays at 1 p.m. ET. For credentials needed to participate, contact Shel or Neville directly, request the credentials in our Facebook group, or email fircomments@gmail.com.

Special thanks to Jay Moonah for the opening and closing music.

You can find the stories from which Shel’s FIR content is selected at Shel’s Link Blog. Shel has started a metaverse-focused Flipboard magazine. You can catch up with both co-hosts on Neville’s blog and Shel’s blog. Neville’s Asides blog is also available.

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