According to Yahoo Finance, AI-driven neurotechnology has opened up new possibilities in the field of healthcare. Advances in AI may enable people suffering from debilitating conditions to communicate.
Big Tech Turning AI Spotlight On Neurotechnology
Elon Musk’s company Neuralink grabbed headlines in 2024 when it implanted the first-ever brain-computer interface (BCI) in a human, though the firm indicated on Thursday, 9 May 2024 that it had experienced some problems with its implant.
The market for neurotechnological devices had a reported value of approximately $15bn in 2023. Precedence Research estimates that this will grow to more than $55bn by 2032.
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Analysts claim that this projected lucrative growth is one of the reasons why big tech giants such as Meta (META) and Apple (AAPL) are exploring how AI can transform neurotech. This includes researching how it can be used to decipher cognitive processes.
Some experts disagree with this research, though, warning that such technology will invade and nullify the privacy of thinking. Yahoo Finance cited Nita Farahany, a tech ethicist and author of The Battle for Your Brain, who stated:
This is our final fortress of privacy, and we’ve given up every other aspect of privacy that exists.
Apart from Neuralink, several other companies currently develop and sell neurotechnology. Based on Yahoo Finance data, Apple filed a patent to incorporate electrodes monitoring brain activity in its AirPods in January 2023. Apple CEO Tim Cook is one of the advocates driving the AI-neurotech agenda. He said:
If you zoom out into the future … and you ask the question, what was Apple’s greatest contribution to mankind, it will be about health.
