Brain-Computer Interface - Human and AI "Symbiosis"

Author: Long Yue

Source: Hard AI

As artificial intelligence (AI) makes machines more human-like, efforts to make humans more machine-like are also happening simultaneously.

According to Hard AI, Morgan Stanley wrote in a research report on October 8 titled "Neuralink: AI in Your Brain" that brain-computer interfaces (BCI) are moving from science fiction into reality, with Elon Musk's Neuralink at the center of this transformative storm.

Neuralink was founded by Musk in 2016, with the ultimate goal of achieving a "symbiotic relationship" between humans and AI to ensure that humans are not eliminated in the era of artificial general intelligence (AGI). However, its short-term goals are very pragmatic: to treat neurological diseases such as paralysis, blindness, and Alzheimer's through BCI technology.

Elon Musk outlined Neuralink's goals in June of this year:

• Alleviating human suffering: Initially, Neuralink focuses on improving the lives of people with degenerative neurological diseases or brain injuries. With this in mind, the company's initial product, Telepathy, aims to enable human interaction with machines, such as robotic hands/arms or mouse cursors, allowing paralyzed individuals to better interact with computers or their surroundings. The company's second product, Blindsight, also focuses on this goal, restoring vision for those with partial or complete vision loss.

• Enhancing human capabilities: The next step for Neuralink will be to provide cybernetic enhancements to humans. For example, while Blindsight will initially target those with vision loss, Musk and the company's ultimate goal is to use this technology to achieve superhuman vision, including the ability to see infrared and ultraviolet light.

• Understanding and expanding consciousness: As Neuralink achieves the first two goals, the company hopes to pursue a more philosophical aim of understanding "what it means to be conscious."

• Mitigating the risks of artificial intelligence: Ultimately, Neuralink's goal is to achieve a symbiosis between humans and artificial intelligence—effectively implanting said AI into the human body by transforming humans into cyborgs capable of processing and using information at speeds competitive with AI, thereby eliminating the dangers AI poses to society. In this imagined world, machines and humans will be natural extensions of each other, rather than machines replacing humans.

The market potential for brain-computer interfaces (BCI) is enormous. According to the report, the total addressable market (TAM) for BCIs in the U.S. healthcare application sector alone is as high as $400 billion, and the report even considers this estimate to be "conservative." The market will start by addressing critical medical needs and gradually penetrate broader fields Brain-machine interfaces will enter the market through the "backdoor" of medical applications, initially focusing on helping patients with neurological diseases such as paralysis and blindness. However, its long-term potential goes far beyond this, expanding into gaming, defense, social media, and even achieving "human-machine symbiosis."

As an industry pioneer, Neuralink's technological progress is rapid. The report cites the company's president, stating that by September 2025, 12 patients will have implanted its devices, with an expected increase to about 25 by the end of the year, and there are already 10,000 people on the waiting list.

However, the market is not dominated by a single player. The report points out that companies like Synchron (which uses less invasive vascular intervention technology) and Precision Neuroscience (which employs minimally invasive surface film technology) are adopting different technological paths, creating a fierce competitive landscape.

Medical First, Commercialization Path Becoming Clear

Morgan Stanley believes that healthcare is the first field where BCI technology will land, and it is also Neuralink's current core strategy. The company's initial product, "Telepathy," aims to allow paralyzed patients to control a computer cursor or robotic arm through thought, while the second product, "Blindsight," is dedicated to restoring vision for the blind.

The report details Neuralink's two core products:

• Telepathy: This is the company's first product, which "reads" signals from the brain's motor cortex by implanting the N1 chip, allowing users to control a computer cursor or external devices with their thoughts. As of September 2025, 12 patients have been implanted, with one patient using it for over 100 hours per week. Notably, its system latency is about 10 times faster than the normal brain-to-muscle response speed, meaning the computer's response is even quicker than the user's expectations.

• Blindsight: This is the company's second product, aimed at "writing" signals to the brain's visual cortex through the S2 chip to help restore vision for the blind. Unlike Telepathy, which can only read signals, Blindsight's technology is more complex and represents another leap in BCI technology.

According to an unconfirmed Bloomberg report, the company expects Telepathy to receive regulatory approval by 2029, while Blindsight is set to launch in 2030

Neuralink's "Hardcore" Technology: R1 Surgical Robot

Morgan Stanley's report emphasizes that Neuralink's biggest differentiating advantage lies in its "deep vertical integration." To achieve large-scale applications, Neuralink not only independently develops the core N1 and S2 chips but also has developed the dedicated R1 surgical robot.

Due to the implanted electrode wires being thinner than a human hair, manual surgery is impossible. The R1 robot utilizes advanced imaging technology to autonomously and precisely implant electrodes into the brain while avoiding blood vessels. The report reveals that Neuralink is transitioning to the next generation of robots, which will increase the implantation speed by 11 times (from 17 seconds per wire to 1.5 seconds per wire) and significantly reduce costs, for example, the cost of each surgical needle has dropped from $350 to just $15.

Neuralink President Dongjin Seo told Morgan Stanley that the company decided to develop its surgical robot in-house from day one because they foresaw that the scarcity of qualified neurosurgeons would become a critical scaling bottleneck when the technology is pushed to the general public.

Neuralink's strong progress is translating into enthusiastic support from the capital markets. The report notes that Neuralink completed a $650 million Series E financing round in June 2025, with a post-financing valuation of $9 billion, bringing the total financing amount to $1.34 billion. The list of investors includes well-known institutions such as Founders Fund and Sequoia Capital.

This indicates that, although commercialization will take time, the capital markets have already placed significant bets on the disruptive potential of BCI technology.

Market Size Estimation: A Conservative Estimate of $400 Billion

The report provides a detailed estimation of the BCI market and believes that the estimated total addressable market (TAM) of $400 billion for the U.S. healthcare market in 2024 may still be conservative.

The report divides the market into two phases:

• Early TAM (approximately $80.8 billion): Primarily targeting patients with severe upper limb injuries, epilepsy, and depression. The covered diseases include motor neuron disease (MND/ALS), stroke, spinal cord injury, and multiple sclerosis (MS).

• Mid-term TAM (approximately $317.4 billion): Expanding to patients with moderate upper limb injuries or severe lower limb injuries.

The report predicts that the first commercial BCI product may hit the market by 2030. By 2045, cumulative revenue from BCI implantation surgeries is expected to exceed $12 billion, indicating that market penetration remains at an extremely low level, with significant growth potential

The Competition: Competitive Landscape and Technology Routes

Although Neuralink is well-known, it is not the only player. A report by Morgan Stanley outlines the major global BCI competitors, which have adopted different technological paths, creating a situation of a hundred schools of thought contending.

• Synchron: Its Stentrode device is implanted via the jugular vein, requiring no craniotomy, making it less invasive. The company has raised $140 million.

• Precision Neuroscience: Founded by a co-founder of Neuralink, its device is a thin film placed on the surface of the brain through small incisions, also a minimally invasive solution. It has raised $155 million.

• Paradromics: Focused on BCI devices with high data transmission rates, it has raised $97 million.

• Merge Labs: Led by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, exploring non-invasive technology using ultrasound, currently still in "stealth mode."

• Ambitions of Chinese Players: The report specifically mentions that China is heavily investing in the BCI industry, aiming to cultivate "two to three globally influential leading enterprises" by 2030.

From Brain Waves to the Heart's Desire

BCI is not achieved overnight; its development can be traced back a hundred years. According to the report, this history began in 1924 when German psychiatrist Hans Berger first recorded the electrical activity of the human brain, known as electroencephalography (EEG).

In the following decades, research gradually deepened. In the 1970s, Jacques Vidal from the University of California, Los Angeles, first introduced the term "brain-computer interface" in scientific literature. In 1988, researchers achieved the first non-invasive EEG control of a physical robot.

Entering the 21st century, with the emergence of projects like "BrainGate," researchers successfully enabled paralyzed patients to control robotic arms to perform complex actions like drinking coffee through implanted BCIs, laying the foundation for the clinical application of this technology.

Today, breakthroughs from companies like Neuralink are built upon this long and solid series of scientific explorations.

The "Double-Edged Sword" of Technology and Ethics

On the road to the future, BCI technology also faces severe challenges and risks. The report points out that the invasive surgery of Neuralink carries inherent neurosurgical risks. Its first human patient, Noland Arbaugh, experienced an 85% electrode wire dislodgement issue one month after surgery, although some functions were restored through subsequent software updates.

Moreover, deeper risks lie in data security and ethical dilemmas.

The report warns that the neural data collected by BCIs is highly sensitive, and without proper protection, it could be exploited by malicious actors to read intentions or even manipulate behaviors. From a societal perspective, BCI technology could exacerbate inequality, giving rise to a "neural elite" class that can afford cognitive enhancement capabilities, raising widespread ethical concerns.

These challenges mean that the commercialization of BCIs is not only a technological race but also a profound test of regulation, safety, and fairness.

This article is from WeChat Official Account "Hard AI". For more cutting-edge AI news, please click here.