In January 2024 a man paralyzed below the shoulders received a brain implant and soon played chess by thought; in May 2025 Apple published a way for such an implant to act as an iPhone input device. The episode follows the brain-computer interface from Vidal's 1973 phrase to BrainGate, Neuralink and Synchron, with company claims attributed. It covers neural-data laws and the skeptics' case on surgery, fading signals and abandoned implants.
Who's who
- Jacques VidalUCLA computer scientist who introduced the phrase brain-computer interface in 1973
- Richard NormannUtah researcher who developed the Utah electrode array
- Leigh HochbergDirector of the BrainGate trial
- Elon Musk+2 more episodesNeuralink co-founder whose statements are quoted as made
- Tom OxleyCo-founder and chief executive of Synchron
Where it happens
- Chile+2 more episodesAmended its constitution in 2021 to protect brain activity
- Colorado+7 more episodesSigned the first American state law protecting neural data
- Shanghai, ChinaHome of Neuracle, with China's first approved implant
Timeline
- 1973Jacques Vidal's paper introduces the phrase brain-computer interface
- July 13, 2006Nature publishes BrainGate's first results: a cursor and a television moved by thought
- January 28, 2024Neuralink's first human implant is placed
- May 13, 2025Apple announces a brain-computer interface input profile
- January 28, 2026Neuralink says twenty-one participants are enrolled worldwide
- March 13, 2026China approves Neuracle's implant for commercial use
Still debated
How many people carry implants and how long the devices keep recording are both uncertain, and company production and surgery claims are statements of intent. A competitor's claim to beat implants without surgery lacks independent evidence, and whether a muscle-reading wristband counts as neural is argued.