E-Business
Elon Musk Says First Human Implanted with Neuralink Brain Chip now Moves a ‘Mouse around Screen just by Thinking’
Elon Musk, founder of Neuralink Corp. an American neurotechnology company, has said that the first human patient implanted with a brain chip from Neuralink appears to have fully recovered and is able to control a computer mouse using his thoughts.
Elon Musk
Musk and a team of seven scientists and engineers, founded Neuralink in 2016 and was first publicly reported in March 2017.
It is developing implantable brain–computer interfaces, based in Fremont, California, as of 2024.
‘Progress is good and the patient seems to have made a full recovery, with neural effects that we are aware of,‘ Musk said in a Spaces event on X (Twitter).
‘Patient is able to move a mouse around the screen by just thinking.’
Musk said Neuralink is now trying to get as many mouse button clicks as possible from the patient.
Neuralink successfully implanted the ‘Telepathy’ chip on the patient last month, after receiving approval for human trial recruitment in September.
The identity of the first Neuralink patient is still unclear, however; MailOnline has contacted the firm for more information.
Neuralink’s tech uses a robot to surgically place a brain-computer interface implant in a region of the brain that controls the intention to move.
The system consists of a computer chip attached to tiny flexible threads stitched into the brain by a ‘sewing-machine-like’ robot.
The robot removes a small chunk of the skull, connects the thread-like electrodes to certain areas of the brain, stitches up the hole and the only visible remains is a scar left behind from the incision.
Musk said that this procedure takes just 30 minutes, does not require general anaesthesia, and patients will be able to return home on the same day.
It’s unclear if all these promises apply to the first patient to receive the implant, although Musk said he or she is ‘recovering well’.
But after Neuralink’s early trials saw 1,500 animals killed during rushed experiments, experts have raised serious concerns about the implant’s safety.
Speaking to MailOnline, Dr Dean Burnett, honorary research associate at Cardiff University, called the human trials ‘disconcerting and alarming.’
‘The speed at which [Musk] has gone from having no involvement in neurosurgical implants to making massive global statements is disconcerting and alarming,’ he said.
The company’s initial goal is to let people control a computer cursor or keyboard using their thoughts and communicate wirelessly with the world – like ‘replacing a piece of the skull with a smartwatch’, Musk has said.
It would enable us to share our thoughts, fears, hopes and anxieties without demeaning ourselves with written or spoken language, the firm claims.
But it could also help paralysed people walk again and cure other neurological ailments.
Musk has also said that he’d be comfortable implanting a brain chip into one of his children, in response to a query.
‘I would say we’re at the point where at least, in my opinion, it would not be dangerous,’ he said.
Implanting ‘Telepathy’ in a human is part of Neuralink’s PRIME study, a trial to evaluate the safety of the implant and the surgical robot that does the procedure.
Musk has grand ambitions for Neuralink, saying it would facilitate speedy surgical insertions of its chip devices to treat conditions like obesity, autism, depression, and schizophrenia.
However, Neuralink, which was valued at about $5 billion last year, has faced repeated calls for scrutiny regarding its safety protocols and animal testing.
Neuralink has spent the past few years testing the implant on animals, which has given mixed results.
In a 2020 presentation, Musk unveiled the Neuralink chip to the public for the very first time, with a demonstration on a pig named Gertrude
Gertrude’s brain signals were visualised in real-time while she snuffled around her pen, that were being picked up by her implant.
Another pig involved in the demonstration had once had an implant but then had it removed and was living a ‘healthy life’.
The following year, Musk did another demonstration, which involved a macaque monkey with a brain chip that played a computer game by thinking alone.
However, in February 2022, Neuralink confirmed that monkeys had died during its tests, although denied any animal abuse.
The latter was in response to claims made by a non-profit the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) in a complaint with the US Department of Agriculture.
Concerns raised by PCRM in the complaint included an example of a monkey missing fingers and toes that may have been lost to ‘self mutilation’.
Whether you love him or hate him, Elon Musk is the mastermind behind some of the most ingenuous technology projects of the modern era.
The billionaire entrepreneur is the boss of carmaker Tesla, private space firm SpaceX and brain-computer interface startup Neuralink, among others.
Ministry of Interior has announced the launch of a new Online Citizenship and Business Management Platform in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
A statement signed by Dr Magdalene Ajani, permanent secretary, Ministry of Interior’s said the initiative forms a key part of its ongoing reforms aimed at promoting transparency, enhancing operational efficiency, and significantly improving service delivery to the public.
The new digital platform is designed to streamline the application and processing of citizenship and business-related services, ensuring faster turnaround times and improved user experience.
The platform allows users to apply for and manage business permits, ensuring that both local and foreign businesses operate legally in Nigeria.
It includes an Expatriate Quota System to manage work permits for foreign employees, helping companies hire skilled workers while complying with Nigeria’s immigration laws.
The Citizenship Administration and Management System provides a streamlined online process for applying, tracking, and managing Nigerian citizenship applications and related services.
Members of the public, corporate entities, and other stakeholders are expected to access the platform through the ministry’s website: https://interior.gov.ng , Direct Portal Access: https://candb.interior.gov.ng , or contact candb-support@interior.gov.ng for support and inquiries.
“The Ministry of Interior remains committed to establishing a more efficient, transparent, and secure framework for citizenship administration, while continuously enhancing service delivery through digital transformation,” the statement read in part.
Fifty selected young unemployed Nigerians have completed a four-week intensive digital skills bootcamp under the Digital Literacy for All (DL4ALL) initiative, gaining practical training in Data Science, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and IT Essentials.
The programme, a collaborative effort between the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Cisco, was hosted at NITDA’s South West Zonal Office in Victoria Island, Lagos.
Speaking on behalf of the Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa , the Head of the South West Zonal Office, Mrs. Chioma Okee-Agugwo, described the initiative as a vital component of Nigeria’s digital future. “This is not just a closing ceremony. It is the launchpad for new journeys—anchored in digital knowledge and powered by innovation,” she remarked.
According to the Director General, the initiative is rooted in NITDA’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP 2.0) and reflects key focus areas including Digital Literacy, Emerging Technologies, and Youth Empowerment. It also aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to accelerate economic diversification through digitisation, innovation, and skills development.
Inuwa noted that the DL4ALL initiative forms part of Nigeria’s broader commitment to digital inclusion—ensuring that no one is left behind in the evolving digital economy. It also supports the ambitious goal of achieving 70% digital literacy by 2027, championed by the Honourable Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani. This national vision aims to equip millions of Nigerians with the skills required to thrive in a tech-driven world.
He further emphasized the importance of empowering youth with globally relevant skills. “They are no longer just consumers of technology. They are creators, innovators, and future employers,” he said.
The NITDA boss explained that throughout the bootcamp, participants engaged in hands-on learning experiences designed to build both technical proficiency and digital leadership capabilities.
“This is only the beginning,” he stated. “Through our zonal strategy, we are bringing innovation closer to local communities. This is how we democratise access and unlock Nigeria’s full digital potential.”
Inuwa expressed appreciation to Cisco for delivering high-impact training and called on stakeholders to continue investing in partnerships, people, and platforms that drive digital inclusion.
He asserted that the newly certified participants are now equipped to contribute meaningfully to Nigeria’s digital economy—armed with the skills to build solutions, secure infrastructure, and launch tech ventures that solve real-world problems.
At the end of the bootcamp, participants demonstrated their knowledge through impressive presentations that showcased the integration of skills acquired across Data Science, AI, and IT Essentials. Many spoke passionately about how the programme had expanded their technical competence and sparked a drive to create job opportunities—not only for themselves but also for others—as entrepreneurs and digital solution providers in their communities.
Coinbase forecast a hit of between $180m and $400m from a cyberattack that breached account data of a “small subset” of its customers, the crypto exchange said in a regulatory filing on Thursday.
The company received an anonymous email on May 11, claiming to have information about certain customer accounts as well as internal documents.
While some data — including names, addresses and emails — was stolen, the hackers did not get access to login credentials or passwords, Coinbase said.
Still, it will reimburse customers who were tricked into sending funds to the attackers.
Hackers had paid multiple contractors and employees working in support roles outside the US to collect information.
The company has fired those involved, it said.
Separately, the New York Times reported that the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was investigating whether the company had misstated its user numbers.
Coinbase shares extended losses after the report and were last down 6.5%.
“This is a hold-over investigation from the prior administration about a metric we stopped reporting two-and-a-half years ago, which was fully disclosed to the public,” said Paul Grewal, Coinbase’s chief legal officer.
“While we strongly believe this investigation should not continue, we remain committed to working with the SEC to bring this matter to a close.”
The SEC declined to comment.
The latest developments come days before the company is set to join the benchmark S&P 500 index, casting a shadow over what was expected to be a landmark moment for the crypto industry.
Security remains a challenge for the crypto industry despite its growing mainstream acceptance.
In February, Bybit disclosed a hack in which about $1.5bn worth of digital tokens were stolen — widely described the biggest crypto heist ever.
“The cyberattack may push the industry to adopt stricter employee vetting and introduce some reputational risks,” said Bo Pei, an analyst at US Tiger Securities.
Funds stolen by hacking crypto platforms amounted to $2.2bn in 2024, according to a report from Chainalysis, a US-based blockchain analysis firm.
“As our nascent industry grows rapidly, it draws the eye of bad actors, who are becoming increasingly sophisticated in the scope of their attacks,” said Nick Jones, founder of crypto firm Zumo.
Coinbase has refused to pay a ransom of $20m demanded by the attackers and is working with law enforcement agencies. Instead it has established a $20m reward for information on the hackers.
The company is also opening a new support hub in the US and taking other measures to prevent such cyberattacks, it said.
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