Elon Musk envisions widespread adoption of Neuralink technology: "Hundreds in coming years, millions in a decade"

The brain technology startup company announced on August 21 a significant milestone with the successful implantation of its Link device in its second participant. (In pic: Elon Musk)

Elon Musk, founder of Neuralink, has shared an ambitious forecast regarding the future of the company’s brain-computer interface technology. In a recent comment on X (formerly Twitter), Musk projected a rapid expansion in the adoption of Neuralink's devices over the next decade, following the company’s latest breakthrough achievement.

“If all goes well, there will be hundreds of people with Neuralinks within a few years, maybe tens of thousands within 5 years, millions within 10 years,” Musk wrote on X.

The brain technology startup company announced on August 21 a significant milestone with the successful implantation of its Link device in its second participant. It said the new recipient demonstrated remarkable results, setting a world record for brain-computer interface cursor control on their first day and quickly engaging with complex tasks like playing Counter-Strike 2 and using computer-aided design (CAD) software.

The company has also said it made strides in addressing previous technical challenges, such as thread retraction issues observed in the first participant. Neuralink reported that these issues have been effectively mitigated for the latest participant, ensuring stable performance and enhanced functionality.

Musk's earlier comments underscore Neuralink's ongoing efforts to push the boundaries of brain-computer interface technology- the concept of streaming music directly to the brain, and the potential for improving eyesight through the brain-computer interface.