{"id":26791,"date":"2025-03-22T11:23:41","date_gmt":"2025-03-22T15:23:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/?p=26791"},"modified":"2025-03-22T11:23:41","modified_gmt":"2025-03-22T15:23:41","slug":"could-elon-musks-neuralink-be-used-for-telepathy-telekinesis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2025\/03\/could-elon-musks-neuralink-be-used-for-telepathy-telekinesis","title":{"rendered":"Could Elon Musk\u2019s Neuralink Be Used for Telepathy, Telekinesis?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Adobe Stock | Inset: Frederic Legrand – COMEO \/ Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some recent moves from Elon Musk\u2019s Neuralink are raising some eyebrows about just how far the company intends to impact the human brain. Neuralink<\/a> has made the news after the first patient to receive an implant, Noland Arbaugh, described how the implant has impacted his life. Arbaugh became quadriplegic after a tragic diving accident, but the Neuralink allowed him to gain some functionality using just his brain, such as browsing the internet and playing video games. Despite some concerns with the product\u2019s functionality at the beginning of its implantation, Arbaugh has spoken positively about the new abilities the device has granted him. To date, three people have received Neuralink implants.<\/p>\n

Now the company seeks to trademark<\/a> certain product names such as \u201cTelepathy\u201d and \u201cTelekinesis.\u201d Telepathy will be a program that will enable individuals impacted by paralysis to control such objects as computers and phones. The company\u2019s trademark request<\/a> for Telepathy states that the device will be \u201can implantable brain to computer interface for facilitating communication and control of software and hardware.\u201d One such application could be allowing a person to interface with a device for the purpose of typing. Some critics, however, speculate the device could be used for telepathic communication between individuals. \u201cThe question is, what kind of communication? Sometimes things hide in plain sight in these applications,\u201d cautioned<\/a> trademark attorney Josh Gerben.<\/p>\n

During an interview<\/a> on the \u201cLex Fridman Podcast\u201d last August, Musk gave some hints as to his ambitions for the company, suggesting he was looking for \u201cnew ways of interacting with other humans.\u201d Neuralink has also received what is called \u201cbreakthrough device designation\u201d from the FDA for its product named \u201cBlindsight,\u201d which will be used to restore limited vision to the blind and visually impaired. \u201cEven people who have lost their eyes can regain sight by triggering neurons in the visual cortex,\u201d Musk said during a previous interview<\/a>. But while Neuralink is currently positioning itself to help those with physical impairments, Musk has indicated the device could eventually be used in healthy people in order to achieve \u201csymbiosis\u201d with artificial intelligence<\/a>. \u201cYou could communicate at 10 or even 100 times the speed of normal conversation,\u201d Musk speculated. He has even speculated the Neuralink could provide users with \u201csuperhuman\u201d abilities, such as being able to see infrared or ultraviolet light. Of course, the road to such possibilities remains a long one, with Neuralink still being considered \u201cexperimental,\u201d but the lines between science fiction and real life appear to be getting blurrier.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Some recent moves from Elon Musk\u2019s Neuralink are raising some eyebrows about just how far the company intends to impact the human brain. Neuralink has made the news after the first patient to receive an implant, Noland Arbaugh, described how the implant has impacted his life. Arbaugh became quadriplegic after a tragic diving accident, but…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":26794,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nCould Elon Musk\u2019s Neuralink Be Used for Telepathy, Telekinesis?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Elon Musk\u2019s Neuralink helps a paralyzed man control devices with his mind\u2014raising hopes for healing and concerns.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2025\/03\/could-elon-musks-neuralink-be-used-for-telepathy-telekinesis\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" 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