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Neuralink 'Participant 1' says his life has changed

(fortune.com)
360 points danielmorozoff | 10 comments | 24 Aug 25 09:12 UTC | HN request time: 0.515s | source | bottom
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explodes ◴[24 Aug 25 12:23 UTC] No.45003717[source]▶
This tech is incredible but it will be very divisive. Leadership of the current leading company notwithstanding, novel implants such as pacemakers have also undergone a stage of social caution that I would very much expect to surface for brain-interface devices as well, if not more fervently due to an increasing mistrust in technology's utility in our lives.

I am personally hopeful for this technology. I know it will be able to improve the lives of loved ones who both need and want it. I am also afraid of a technology that can decide my thoughts one way or another...

That said, I'll take two.

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xg15 ◴[26 Aug 25 17:36 UTC] No.45029751[source]▶
Divisive is an understatement.

If this tech could be made to work flawlessly, it would be the gate to all the SciFi cyborg stuff, including body enhancements, "telepathy", etc.

Also, as a "side effect", it would open a path to fully immersive VR, as in Matrix, Snow Crash, Neuromancer, etc - with all the upsides and downsides of those scenarios.

All that "just" from hooking up motor and sensor neurons. And then people would probably start and mess with neurons that are involved in cognitive functions and the consciousness.

If generative AI had potential for cultish behavior, I think that will pale in comparison to this stuff.

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1. germinalphrase ◴[26 Aug 25 17:57 UTC] No.45030015[source]▶
The dystopian downside is significant. It is not difficult to come up with half a dozen horrific outcomes of this technology.
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2. xg15 ◴[26 Aug 25 18:09 UTC] No.45030168[source]▶
Indeed it is. I think the tech is enormously exciting, but the ways in which both ordinary people and people in power could abuse it, are obvious.

I also don't trust the current brand of tech billionaires to handle this stuff responsibly - if they aren't specifically aiming for those dystopian scenarios even.

Based on all of Musk's past behavior, he doesn't exactly strike me as a guy who would deeply care for the disabled or make it his life's mission to cure spinal cord injuries - or even to grant super powers with no strings attached to the average person.

But he does seem like the kind of person who obsesses about the "next stage of evolution of the human race"...

3. ethersteeds ◴[26 Aug 25 20:56 UTC] No.45032224[source]▶
Unskippable preroll ads in your dreams. A whole new meaning to "sentiment analysis".
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4. fsniper ◴[26 Aug 25 21:06 UTC] No.45032339[source]▶
Futurama! Just watched that episode today.
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5. SketchySeaBeast ◴[26 Aug 25 21:14 UTC] No.45032423{3}[source]▶
Black Mirror had a recent episode as well.
6. goatlover ◴[26 Aug 25 22:03 UTC] No.45032905{3}[source]▶
Funny part being how we have ads everywhere else today.
7. consumer451 ◴[26 Aug 25 22:22 UTC] No.45033093[source]▶
“Just a quick TSA neural scan prior to boarding.”
8. 0xDEAFBEAD ◴[27 Aug 25 01:19 UTC] No.45034360[source]▶
Imagine if your brain implant got infected by malware. There will be entries in the DSM for that, and another entry for "patient is convinced that implant is infected by malware, but it's actually totally fine".
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9. xg15 ◴[27 Aug 25 09:09 UTC] No.45037129[source]▶
And then there will be neural rootkits that make people compulsively reject the mere possibility that they could be infected...
10. freedomben ◴[27 Aug 25 15:16 UTC] No.45040873{3}[source]▶
It is amazing how well Futurama has held up :-D

I recently watched an episode where there was a bit about "Don't date robots" and it had me absolutely rolling, but also hit pretty close to home in 2025