Elon Musk’s mind implant firm, Neuralink, has filed functions with the US Patent and Trademark Workplace (USPTO) to solely personal the names Telepathy, Telekinesis, and others for future merchandise.
Neuralink, which Musk cofounded in 2016, is growing expertise referred to as a brain-computer interface, a system that decodes mind exercise to manage an output machine. Musk has stated that the corporate’s first product will likely be known as Telepathy and can enable individuals with paralysis the flexibility to manage a pc or cellphone simply by pondering. However the Neuralink trademark utility means that the corporate has ambitions of its expertise enabling telepathic communication not simply with digital gadgets, however between human beings.
Neuralink’s interface includes a mind implant that collects neural alerts and software program that interprets these alerts into cursor actions on a pc display. Up to now, three individuals have acquired Neuralink’s experimental implant as a part of an early feasibility research. The primary, Noland Arbaugh, underwent mind surgical procedure in January 2024 to get the machine. In November, the corporate acquired permission to open a trial website in Canada.
The corporate’s trademark utility for Telepathy, filed on March 3, describes the product as “an implantable mind to pc interface for facilitating communication and management of software program and {hardware}.” The “facilitating communication” declare might imply that Telepathy is supposed to assist paralyzed individuals talk by means of typing on an exterior machine, nevertheless it might additionally imply permitting telepathic communication between people with Neuralink implants.
“The query is, what sort of communication?” says trademark legal professional Josh Gerben, founding father of Gerben IP. “Typically issues cover in plain sight in these functions.” Nevertheless, he cautions that claims on trademark functions might be speculative and overly broad in contrast with patent functions, which have to be extra detailed about how an invention works and what it will likely be used for. Enabling telepathic communication would, although, match with Musk’s broader imaginative and prescient for Neuralink.
Musk has lengthy been within the idea of enabling telepathy with a brain-computer interface. In a prolonged illustrated explainer from 2017 by which he outlined the concept behind his then new firm Neuralink, Musk advocated for thought communication between individuals. “If I have been to speak an idea to you, you’d basically have interaction in consensual telepathy. You wouldn’t must verbalize except you wish to add somewhat aptitude to the dialog or one thing, however the dialog can be conceptual interplay on a degree that’s troublesome to conceive of proper now,” Musk advised blogger Tim City on the time.
Extra lately, Musk mentioned Neuralink’s telepathic ambitions on the Lex Fridman Podcast in August 2024. “Complete new methods of interacting with the pc could be unlocked,” Fridman stated, referring to potential enhancements within the velocity and accuracy of Neuralink’s machine. “And with different people,” Musk replied. “Offered they’ve—they need—a Neuralink too.”
Musk has speculated that wholesome individuals will finally get mind implants, enabling people to obtain “symbiosis” with synthetic intelligence.
