By Dwaipayan Roy
Elon Musk has claimed that his brain chip technology, developed by Neuralink, could potentially restore hearing in people who have been completely deaf since birth. The ambitious claim was made in response to a post on X, highlighting the dangers of hearing loss and the lack of effective treatments for it. The post also mentioned how hearing loss increases dementia risk and accelerates brain shrinkage. Responding to the post, an X user had suggested that Neuralink’s next product should focus on restoring hearing. Musk agreed to this, saying there is a clear path to achieve this with their technology. He claimed that Neuralink’s device can directly stimulate neurons in the brain that are responsible for processing sound. Musk’s claim comes as he recently confirmed that three people have already received the Neuralink implant. The update was shared during a live event in Las Vegas, which was streamed on X. He said all the three recipients are doing well. The firm has improved the implant since the first human procedure about a year ago, and is now planning to chip 20-30 more people this year as part of its ongoing development process. Musk has shared some progress reports on the first two patients who received the Neuralink implant. The second person, a spinal cord injury patient, received the implant last summer and has been using it to play video games and learn software for designing 3D objects. The first recipient, also with a spinal injury, said that the chip had helped him play video games and chess.