Elon Musk and his Neuralink company's attempt to begin testing brain chips in humans has been rejected by the FDA, according to a report by Reuters.
The request was submitted to the agency last year but according to Reuters, the FDA identified several problematic factors with the technology, including the chip's lithium battery and the potential for small wires to move to other areas of the brain.
"Neuralink doesn't appear to have the mindset and experience that's needed to get this to market anytime soon," Kip Ludwig, former program director for neural engineering at the U.S. National Institute of Health.
There was also a concern of whether or not the chip could be removed without inflicting damage to brain tissue.
What Exactly Is Neuralink?
Musk has claimed the technology could be life-changing for people suffering from paralysis, enabling them to communicate and walk, or it could help repair visual impairment in people.
The chip is supposed to process brain signals that are then transmitted to a device. While human trials for Neuralink have not commenced, there have been versions of the tech that reportedly had some success in animals. However, the company faced pushback and a probe from the U.S. Department of Agriculture after animal cruelty concerns were raised.
Last month Neuralink admitted that at least one monkey was euthanized because of a surgical complication.
President Donald Trump is talking up a joint venture investing up to $500 billion for infrastructure tied to artificial intelligence by a new partnership formed by OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank. The new entity, Stargate, will start building out data centers and the electricity generation needed for the further development of the fast-evolving AI in Texas, according to the White House. The initial investment is expected to be $100 billion and could reach five times that sum. While Trump has seized on similar announcements to show that his presidency is boosting the economy, there were already expectations of a massive buildout of data centers and electricity plants needed for the development of AI.
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