In 2014, historian Yuval N. Harari stated in a conference, as if anticipating, like forsythia flowers, the explosion of novelty in another life cycle:
"... among all ongoing projects, the most revolutionary is the attempt to create a direct bidirectional interface between the brain and the computer, allowing the latter to read the electrical signals of a human brain while simultaneously transmitting indicators that the brain can also interpret in return.
What would happen if this interface could link the brain directly to the internet or to multiple brains?"
In just 10 years, we have reached the era of the sensorimotor-augmented human, with the emergence of BCI (Brain–Computer Interface) systems.
• BCI are devices or technological assemblies through which the electrical signals emitted by the brain are captured and converted into commands for a computer or another external device (e.g., a robotic arm).
• Conversely, the system can, within certain limits, send information back to the brain, facilitating bidirectional communication.
The main purposes of a BCI:
– Medical assistance for people with disabilities (e.g., controlling a wheelchair using thought alone).
– Restoring motor functions (e.g., exoskeletons helping paralyzed patients move, neuronally controlled implants to reduce tremors in Parkinson’s disease; ALS patients writing messages by interpreting neural signals without a physical keyboard or voice commands; stroke patients practicing voluntary control over their brain rhythms, etc.).
– Advanced research in neuroscience, studying how the brain processes information.
The difference between non-invasive and invasive BCI:
• Non-invasive BCI (based on EEG) use headsets or electrodes placed on the scalp’s surface, making them easier to implement but offering lower signal resolution.
• Invasive BCI involve the surgical implantation of microelectrodes into the cortex or other brain structures, providing greater signal accuracy and stability but carrying higher medical risks.
Neuralink, the company founded by Elon Musk in 2016, is developing brain implants aimed at both restoring motor functions (in cases of paralysis) and creating a more advanced human–computer interface than previous BCI systems.
In May 2023, Neuralink obtained FDA (Food and Drug Administration, USA) approval to begin clinical trials on humans with its "Link" implant (sometimes referred to as "N1 Link").
As of now, there are no official, published, and scientifically verified reports indicating concrete results in human subjects.
How does Neuralink differ from other BCI systems?
• Implant location and primary purpose
DBS (Deep Brain Stimulation) devices, frequently used for Parkinson’s disease, are typically implanted in deep brain structures (such as the subthalamic nucleus or globus pallidus internus) and deliver electrical impulses to reduce symptoms (e.g., tremors).
Neuralink’s "Link" implant is predominantly placed at the cortical level (e.g., the motor cortex) to read neural signals (and potentially send stimuli) to control external devices (e.g., robotic arms, computer cursors).
• Number and type of electrodes
Traditional DBS systems use a relatively small number of electrodes (1–4 contacts), focused on therapeutic stimulation.
Neuralink employs hundreds to thousands of ultra-thin microelectrodes, enabling the monitoring and recording of neural activity from multiple cortical areas, offering greater precision in decoding motor intentions.
• Primary function: stimulation vs. bidirectional interface
DBS is predominantly a one-way stimulation system: it sends electrical impulses to modulate brain circuits involved in disease (Parkinson’s, dystonia, essential tremor).
Neuralink promises a bidirectional interface: reading signals (for motor control or communication) and, theoretically, providing targeted stimulation to the cortex (although applications for stimulation are still in early development).
• Modularity and wireless connectivity
Traditional DBS systems usually include a pulse generator (a pacemaker implanted under the skin), connected via wires to the brain electrodes, with batteries that require periodic replacement.
Neuralink is designed as a "coin-sized" wireless transmitter that sends data to an external computer without wires (still undergoing clinical validation).
• Targeted applications
For Parkinson’s (DBS) or ALS (some experimental BCI studies like BrainGate), the immediate goal is to improve quality of life, reduce symptoms, and restore motor functions.
Neuralink aims not only to help with paralysis but also envisions a long-term augmentation of cognitive or motor abilities in healthy individuals, enabling a faster human–computer connection.
• Clinical maturity
DBS for Parkinson’s is already approved and has been in use for decades: many patients worldwide have benefited from this technology (Benabid et al., Lancet Neurology, 2009).
Neuralink began its first clinical trials on humans in 2024, but no results have yet been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
I don’t know if Musk’s ambition and success are comparable to Hans Berger’s 1924 discovery of brain electrical activity, but I wonder: how will the golden glories appear in the functional dimension of human neurons, with these active technological interfaces, in another 10 years?
Can we glimpse the silhouette of the future through the eyes of yellow flowers, following a natural course of millions of years? Or do we need to adopt “yellow lenses”—contact with an advanced technology that could sever us from the form we were meant to be?
Technology does not only bring light—it also casts shadows.
• Human–machine connection (e.g., Neuralink) intensifies the spectacle: the “golden glory” could be understood as the desire to quickly achieve superhuman abilities, without fully evaluating ethical, social, and psychological costs.
• Social media does not solely foster healthy connections; depression and anxiety are at epidemic levels, and attention span has significantly decreased (Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 2018; Nature Human Behaviour, 2021).
• OpenAI, with ChatGPT and other AI chatbots, is subtly leading us toward a loss of autonomy, responsibility, identity, and ultimately, humanity.
Instead of being led daily by machines and algorithms, let’s cultivate cognitive health through approaches based on coaching and individual consulting, emphasizing perceptual restructuring, attention training, and flexible thinking.
This way, we can maintain autonomy, self-care, and inner clarity, without losing our identity and humanity in an increasingly technological world.
I warmly invite you to explore this challenging reality with me in private sessions—write to me!
P.S. Don’t forget to connect with the ephemeral world of Yellow!
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