The first human patient received a brain implant from Elon Musk’s Neuralink on Sunday

Neuralink is a Musk-founded neurotechnology startup that creates brain implants known as brain-computer interfaces (BCIs)

The company says its BCIs will cure a range of physical and cognitive disabilities, including paralysis, blindness, and speech issues

Musk also says they will eventually enable “superhuman cognition” on par with the best AI

Neuralink’s BCIs are directly inserted into the brain during a surgery conducted by a robot

They wirelessly transmit data from the brain to a computer

Inserting the BCI is a potentially dangerous process that requires a high degree of precision

Last May, Neuralink announced that after years of delays, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved its use of its BCIs in human patients

The company has since been seeking patients suffering from quadriplegia – paralysis in all four limbs – to test a BCI that will enable them to “control external devices with their thoughts”

“Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a speed typist or auctioneer. That is the goal,” Musk wrote on X

The initial trial aims to “evaluate the safety of our implant and surgical robot,” Neuralink said

On Monday, Musk announced on X that Neuralink had implanted a chip into its first patient

“The first human received an implant from @Neuralink yesterday and is recovering well,” he wrote, adding that early results from the test indicate the BCI is showing “promising” results

Neuralink joins a small collection of neurotechnology companies that have implanted brain chips into human patients

Others to have done so include Synchron, a company backed by Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos

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