You Will Never Need Headphones Again with Elon Musk's Brain Implant

He says his Neuralink device will be able to play music

BY Calum SlingerlandPublished Jul 21, 2020

Would you have a brain chip implant installed to listen to music if it meant never losing an AirPod or untangling a rat's nest of cable ever again? That is likely the future Elon Musk will try to sell us on, sooner or later.

In just over a month, Musk's Neuralink company will provide an update on its technological progress, but fans are already getting a glimpse at what the new developments could promise, due to his inability to log off.

Putting out a call on Twitter for some engineering assistance earlier this month, Musk fielded some queries from followers about how the technology worked. While he wrote of its potential to assist brain and spinal injuries, he gave a more definitive answer on whether or not the chip would render headphones obsolete. Musk last gave an update on the development of a computer-brain interface in 2019 and was aiming to conduct tests on humans this year. The ability to play a song without headphones at the speed of thought sounds cool in practice, until you consider the possibility of it shuffling to Musk's SoundCloud or downloading a new Grimes album without your permission.

TechCrunch explains that the implant involves using a surgical robot to "implant gossamer-thin wires" into a person's brain. Those are then connected to an external computer processing unit, making a wireless connection between the two.

Long-term, Musk had explained that Neuralink was searching for a way to "achieve a sort of symbiosis with artificial intelligence," adding, "This is not a mandatory thing. This is something you can choose to have if you want."

Between being a father to X AE A-XII, Musk has supported Kanye West's political ambitions and has looked to bring high-speed internet to Canada.

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