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The brain is one of the most complex structures ever to exist. But, what if brains could be made better? What if they could be faster, able to solve more complex problems, and linked directly to the vast network of information we have available via the Internet?

That's the lofty aim of the team at Neuralink. Elon Musk, who founded the firm in 2016, said the company's ultimate goal is to achieve a state of symbiosis with artificial intelligence.

Neuralink still has a long way to go to meet those ambitions. In 2023, the company announced plans to conscript humans into its first-ever research trial to gauge both the benefits and potential health risks of their premier product: a chip implanted directly into the brain.

In January 2024, the chip was inserted into its first patient. On X, formerly known as Twitter, Musk proudly proclaimed the pioneering client was recovering well but offered few other details. (The claim itself was not independently verified, as noted by a statement from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.)

More recently, in March, Neuralink posted a live stream showing 29-year-old implant recipient Norland Arbaugh using the technology to play a digital version of chess and express how the device has transformed his life after a spinal injury.

Neuralink's brain-computer interface might still be far off from its goal of uplifting human cognition into the future, but its current ambitions lie in clinical settings, namely for treating neurological conditions like paralysis.

Read More: Brain-Computer Interface Turns Thoughts to Text

Specifically, Musk hopes to harness the implants to bypass sections of damaged spine by "shunting" signals directly from the motor cortex to other parts of the body, thereby restoring lost mobility to paralysis patients. Neuralink has also suggested using implants to stimulate brain regions to enable blind patients to see with the aid of cameras and Musk claims that the tech can already restore sight in monkeys.

The device itself is a tiny chip, barely the size of a quarter. It has an even tinier and flimsier array of 64 wire-like sensors, called electrodes, poking out of it. These components are so delicate, and the insertion procedure so precise, that the hands of human surgeons are unfit for the task. To perform the surgery, Neuralink has designed dexterous robots, which they hope to fully automate in the future.

Simply put, the main advantage of the chip is its ability to directly interact with computers and other types of hardware, including prosthetic devices. For now, the company is simply testing preliminary designs and seeking to better understand the capabilities of the human brain.

By directly integrating itself beneath the skull, the chip can collect data on thousands of neural connections. However, the true complexity of the brain will take a long time to be studied since it consists of 100 billion neurons, each with thousands of connections, or synapses, to other neurons. It can also process information more efficiently than any current computer.

Read More: Is Elon Musk a Scientist?

Nonetheless, if the team at Neuralink can design more effective interfaces with the human mind, a plethora of new medical opportunities will be opened. Like a fitness watch for the mind, a chip could give the user direct data on activity in specific parts of their brain, allowing them a more direct mechanism of assessing their mental health.

Neuralinks first clinical trial is currently open for recruitment to study and refine the performance of its experimental devices. Nonetheless, the true long-term effects on human brains remain to be seen.

Despite the unknowns, Neuralink treatments have been approved by the FDA. In order to convince inspectors, the company conducted research on animal test subjects. However, controversy emerged regarding these experiments, which prompted a federal probe in 2022.

While details are scant, the company has received backlash and allegations of animal cruelty for its purported abuse and killing of monkeys, pigs, and sheep. A 2022 report by Reuters, which cited official documents and interviews with employees, stated that Neuralink's experiments contributed to the deaths of over 1,500 animals.

Beyond these allegations, there are other potential risks associated with the brain implant, including brain damage from loose components, allergic reactions to the implant materials, and even cybersecurity threats like deliberate hacking. The best ways of addressing these issues are still a subject of active development.

Read More: Can AI Read Your Mind?

Controversy aside, while seemingly a gateway to a future of preventable illness treatment, inclusivity, and hyper-intelligence, Neuralink's tech is still in the early stages of development and will likely face numerous uphill battles. Only time will tell if it can live up to its much-hyped potential.

Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review them for accuracy and trustworthiness. Review the sources used below for this article:

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Elon Musk's Brain Chip Could Restore Vision and Mobility, But Has a Long Way to Go - DISCOVER Magazine

Elon Musk has mandated Tesla employees to install and demo Full Self-Driving Beta for every customer taking delivery in North America.

Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta is a level 2 Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) that automates all aspects of driving on city streets and highways, but it requires the drivers attention at all times hence why it is still only a level 2 system despite its name.

Teslas goal is to improve the system until it can eventually remove the requirement to have the drivers attention, making it a true self-driving system.

The automaker is currently rolling out version 12 of its FSD Beta system. which has been touted has a major step forward for the system by powering vehicle controls with neural nets.

Tesla sells its Full Self-Driving package for $12,000 or a $200 a month subscription.

The automaker has never revealed the take rate of the package, but some data would point to a lower than 20% take rate in North America. It is likely much lower globally as other markets dont have access to FSD Beta.

In order to boost the take rate, Elon Musk has informed Tesla employees this morning to install the FSD Beta software on all new cars being delivered and give short test drives to the new buyers.

The CEO wrote in an email to employees:

Going forward, it is mandatory in North America to install and activate FSD V12.3.1 and take customers on a short test ride before handing over the car.

Musk says that he wants more people to realize FSD actually works:

Almost no one actually realizes how well (supervised) FSD actually works.

Over the years, Tesla has continuously cut down on the tasks related to delivering vehicles as it often becomes a bottleneck in the automakers operations.

It is not rare these days to take delivery of a Tesla vehicle in minutes and Tesla employees would refer you to videos available on the cars center display in order to inform the new owners of any functionality inside the vehicle.

Requiring a demo drive with every new delivery is going to greatly increase the delivery workload at Tesla stores and delivery centers.

The CEO seems aware as he finished his email on this note:

I know this will slow down the delivery process, but it is nonetheless a hard requirement.

The new initiative also matches Teslas referral program incentives. If a new buyer buys a Tesla with a referral code, they get 3 months of free Full Self-Driving package.

Sorry Tesla delivery people. This is going to create a massive backlog, especially now at the end of the quarter.

As for the effectiveness of this, I dont know. To be fair, I have yet to try v12. Speaking of, its weird that Tesla is going to push it to every new car before delivery, but that many long-time FSD owners like myself have yet to receive the update.

Maybe v12 is so impressive that Elon really believes it will increase the take rate to demo it at delivery even though everyone who buys with a referral code gets it for free for the first 3 months and presumably tries it during that period of time.

Now, I do like the fact that the first time someone is exposed to FSD Beta, it will be in the presence of a Tesla employee, who presumably is going to emphasize the fact that this is a level 2 ADAS and it requires your attention at all times. No exception.

But I think that Tesla and Elon, in particular, are again ignoring the only real thing that would significantly increase confidence in FSD Beta: strong and transparent data.

Yes, personal experience with the system is useful, but like Youtube videos, its all anecdotal data. Tesla is now getting close to 1 billion miles of FSD Beta data and it hasnt released anything of value from this data.

If Tesla wants to people to realize that FSD actually works, it needs to show the data it does.

Because lets be honest supervised FSD Beta actually works, but thats because of the supervised part. There would be tens of thousands of FSD Beta crashes if it werent for driver supervision.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

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Elon Musk mandates Tesla to install and demo Full Self-Driving Beta for every new delivery - Electrek

Since acquiring the company now known as X, Elon Musk has claimed that his social media platform would be one where free speech ideals reigned supreme. In August 2023, Musk went so far as declaring that he would financially support any user who was punished for their speech on X.

"If you were unfairly treated by your employer due to posting or liking something on this platform, we will fund your legal bill," Musk said. "No limit. Please let us know."

This past Sunday, X seemingly shared an example of one such case.

"X is proud to help defend Dr. Kulvinder Kaur Gill against the government-supported efforts to cancel her speech," X said, going on to say they would pay the remainder of the doctor's $300,000 legal bills. Gill had previously posted that she had raised around half of the amount herself through a crowdfunding campaign, meaning X was going to fund the estimated remainder of $150,000.

However, Musk and company left out an important, glaring detail that seems to run contrary to his stated "free speech" beliefs: The lawsuit that Gill lost was one that she filed in an attempt to silence critics from saying things she did not like.

Dr. Kulvinder Kaur Gill is a Canadian physician who published posts in 2020 on X, then Twitter, that presented her COVID vaccine-skepticism and anti-lockdown beliefs in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

For example, in one tweet that Gill posted in August 2020, she said, "If you have not yet figured out that we don't need a vaccine, you are not paying attention. #FactsNotFear."

Gill's posts were highly criticized by the medical community and were covered by journalists with mainstream news outlets.

As a result, Gill sued 23 doctors, journalists, and news outlets, claiming defamation. Some of the individuals that she sued were ones who had posted their criticism in direct response to her on the social media platform X.

The judge dismissed the lawsuit under anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) law, deeming that the suit was an attempt by Gill to silence her critics' speech. Gill was ordered to pay the defendants' legal fees, a judgment of $300,000.

According to X's official statement on its support for Gill, "Elon Musk learned earlier this week about her crowdfunding campaign to pay the judgment," and that's when he pledged to help.

In its post, X claims that "free speech is the bedrock of democracy and a critical defense against totalitarianism in all forms" and that "we must do whatever we can to protect it."

"At X, we will always fight to protect your right to speak freely," X's statement ends.

However, X leaves out critical information about this case that makes their position contrary to Musk and company's stated beliefs.

X claims in its statement that Gill was "harassed by the legacy media, censored by prior Twitter management, and subjected to investigations and disciplinary proceedings by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario."

But it was Gill who filed the lawsuit, in an attempt to stifle speech she didn't like, which included posts from her critics on then-Twitter.

Also, while the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO), a regulatory medical body, did "caution" Gill over her COVID posts, those are intended to be educational or remedial measures, not punitive. Gill did not lose her medical license. (In addition, the CPSO was not involved in Gill's lawsuit.)

But, X's actions here shouldn't be too surprising. Musk and company just lost a lawsuit of their own also struck down under anti-SLAPP law one day after it announced their financial support for Gill. In that case, X sued the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a nonprofit that tracks hate speech online, over reports regarding X that Musk did not like.

"In support of your right to speak," Musk commented earlier this week regarding X's financial help for Gill.

But, it doesn't seem that Musk extends that "right to speak" to Gill's or X's critics.

Go here to read the rest:

Elon Musk's X to pay fees to support Dr. Kulvinder Kaur Gill after failed lawsuit - Mashable

Photo: Rebecca Cook ( Reuters)

A prototype of the Lotus-based Tesla Roadster was first revealed by Tesla in July 2006, before deliveries began two years later; the first recipient of the Roadster was Musk in February 2008. By the next month, regular production was up and running

The Roadster was Teslas first-ever electric vehicle or product in general and was a major milestone for the company and a watershed for the new era of electric vehicles, according to then-CEO Zeev Drori. Drori took over as chief executive in 2007, after Musk pushed for Eberhard to step down.

Tesla sold 2,450 Roadsters for $109,000 each until the line was discontinued in January 2012. Known celebrity buyers include actors such as George Clooney and Matt Damon, musicians like Michael Flea Balzary of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Will.i.am., and former California governor and movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Tesla is set to unveil a second-generation Roadster by the end of the year, with production scheduled for 2025, according to Musk. Hes boasted that it will have rocket technology used by his other venture, SpaceX.

Read more here:

The history of Elon Musk's Tesla - Quartz

Is Dogecoin poised for a moonshot rally?

The meme coin rally were seeing kick off 2024 is really reminiscent of some of the hype-driven speculation we saw during peak euphoria in 2021. Today, Dogecoin (DOGE-USD) is surging, up by more than 5% as well as more than 95% on a year-to-date (YTD) basis. This rally still has a long ways to go to replicate 2021. However, plenty of speculators appear to be putting leveraged long bets on this dog-inspired crypto, just in case DOGE does shoot higher.

Much of the recent optimism around Dogecoin appears to stem from rumors that Elon Musk could integrate the cryptocurrency as a key payment method for his social media platform X (formerly Twitter). This speculation comes after Musk reportedly commented that the circle will be complete to X user DogeDesigner, who depicted the CEOs former payments platform X merging with the social media platform.

Of course, plenty of speculation around such an implementation is likely already baked into Dogecoins current value. However, todays rise may indicate that investors are warming to the idea.

Lets dive into what to make of these rumors.

Rumors are just exactly that rumors. Speculation continues to be the core driver of Dogecoins valuation, so any suggestion that DOGE could be utilized in some grand way by the Dogefather himself Elon Musk is going to be enough to spark intraday rallies.

Elon Musk himself has stated that he owns Dogecoin, although he hasnt specified how much or whether he has held onto the digital token. That said, Musk appears to have a vested interest in the DOGE community, continuing to provide Easter eggs for those willing to search for reasons to get bulled up on this Shiba Inu-inspired crypto.

Dogecoin is generally considered the grandfather of meme tokens, created as a joke more than a decade ago to represent the outrageous nature of how high cryptos can go based on little more than a meme. Elon Musk has taken this narrative to the next level, continuing to fan the flames.

Well have to see whether Dogecoins fiery surge can erupt into a full bore blaze, or if things will fizzle out over time. But one can be reasonably assured that Musks focus on the most entertaining outcome will provide plenty of volatility as we observe DOGE in the coming weeks and months.

On the date of publication, Chris MacDonald did not hold (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article.The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.comPublishing Guidelines.

Chris MacDonalds love for investing led him to pursue an MBA in Finance and take on a number of management roles in corporate finance and venture capital over the past 15 years. His experience as a financial analyst in the past, coupled with his fervor for finding undervalued growth opportunities, contribute to his conservative, long-term investing perspective.

Link:

Elon Musk Is Sparking Yet Another Bull Run in Dogecoin - InvestorPlace