Elon Musk cheered the FDA’s approval of brain implant company Neuralink to start testing the technology on humans, but some were reluctant to take part in a clinical trial, calling it “too invasive.”
“We’re blissful to announce that we’ve got received FDA approval to start our first human clinical trial!” Neuralink wrote on Twitter Thursday.
“That is the result of wonderful work by the Neuralink team in close collaboration with the FDA, and represents a very important first stop that can in the future allow our technology to assist many individuals,” the post reads.
“Congratulations, Neuralink team!” Musk said in response.
Neuralink — based within the San Francisco Bay Area and Austin, Texas — first announced it could conduct human clinical trials in December, after sharing that it was developing brain chip interfaces that might give paralyzed and other patients with neurologically impaired ability to maneuver and communicate again.
The technology, which Musk said could also restore someone’s sight, has been tested on animals lately because it seeks FDA approval to start human trials.
“Recruitment for our clinical trial is just not yet open. We will likely be announcing more information on this soon,” the corporate said.
![Neuralink, Elon Musk's brain chip implant company, announced Thursday that it has received FDA approval and can begin human clinical trials.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/NYPICHPDPICT000011720253.jpg?w=1024)
Many on Twitter, owned by Musk, said they were in no rush to be guinea pigs.
“I’m probably not attempting to implant a chip in my brain, too obtrusive for my taste” one user wrote on Twitter.
“Brother, just make a removable AI headset” one other said.
![Neuralink announced this on Twitter, to which Musk replied, "Congratulations, Neuralink team!"](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/NYPICHPDPICT000011788741.jpg?w=599)
One other called for laws to control Neuralink.
“If this was only for use to assist individuals with disabilities, that will be great. Unfortunately, we all know that is not the case. Regulations are needed to guard people when the usage of this technology gets out of hand.” user tweeted.
Already one other called it “an incredible turning point in human history, or considered one of the worst works of history.”
![Although the registration for the clinical trial has yet to be published, social media users were quick to say that "the first guys in line will still be monkeys," while another called the technology "too invasive."](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/NYPICHPDPICT000011788748.jpg?w=601)
The FDA confirmed to The Post on Friday that it “understands that Neuralink has announced that its Experimental Device (IDE) release for its R1 implant/robot has been approved by the FDA and that it could now begin conducting human clinical trials for its device.”
The federal agency didn’t comment further on the technology.
Musk, 51, has predicted several times that the brain chip will get FDA approval since he announced in 2019 that Neuralink had successfully implanted his chip in a monkey.
Nonetheless, a federal agency rejected the corporate’s application for approval in early 2022 on safety grounds.
![The Neuralink brain chip was designed to give paralyzed and other neurologically disabled patients the ability to move and communicate again. Musk also said he could restore someone's sight.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/NYPICHPDPICT000011752507.jpg?w=1024)
At the top of the yr, he told the audience during a question-and-answer session at a Neuralink event that he would implant a chip within the brain of considered one of his own children if the necessity arose.
“Should you ask the query, how do I feel, would I feel comfortable implanting this in considered one of my children or something like that straight away, in the event that they’re in a serious … like, say, in the event that they broke their neck, would I feel comfortable doing it? I’d,” Musk said at a December event.
“We’re at some extent where, at the least for my part, it would not be dangerous,” added Musk.