Featured Image Credit: Bloomberg / Contributor via Getty
Neuralink patient Brad Smith got a surprise visit from Elon Musk, as the neurotechnology company's founder stopped by to see him ahead of a landmark operation. Smith is only the third person in the world to receive Neuralink's brain-computer interface implant, and with that, it warranted a call from the world's richest man.
Although most might associate Elon Musk with the likes of Tesla and SpaceX, it's easy to forget that he helped found Neuralink back in 2016.
Smith's story has been covered before, showing how his Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) condition deteriorated and left him unable to speak. Core Memory has returned to his case study, expanding on how Smith first realized something was wrong when he tweaked his shoulder during a dodgeball game at the age of 37.
Smith thought little of it, but as the injury lingered, his range of motion got increasingly worse.
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A series of accidents around the house and Smith being unable to carry a karaoke tune like he did before were small red flags, but it was when he visited the Barrow Neurological Institute in October 2018 that he was first told he might have ALS. Smith told the outlet: "I left his office trying to look strong, but, halfway to my car, I collapsed, sobbing."
The latest video catches up with Smith three days before surgery, with him and his wife Tiffany getting ready for surgery.
Before getting the Neuralink chip embedded in his brain, Smith communicated with eye gaze that used infrared to track his eye movements. Tiffany explains how Brad is forced to spend his days inside because it's too bright outside, and it's difficult to get his eye gaze to work in sunny conditions.
One day before surgery, there's a surprise guest of Elon Musk FaceTiming with the family to wish Smith the best.
There's then a short explanation of how the coin-sized N1 implant connects to the brain via ultra-thin threads and 1024 electrodes.
Jumping forward to eight days after surgery, the video catches up with Smith as he tries to train the AI and control a cursor with his eyes, then leaps to eight months after surgery to show how he's progressed.
As for what Smith looks like now, he's had a chip implanted in his brain, letting him control the cursor on his MacBook Pro to type. Musk's Grok AI can also create an accurate vocal clone that lets Smith talk again. Documenting the rest of his journey on X, Smith wrote: "I can control the computer with telepathy, life is good. Neuralink does not read my deepest thoughts or words I think about."
In the Core Memory video, Smith says: "It is actually weird to hear my voice after years of not hearing it...I recorded myself reading some things on my phone years ago, the recordings were enough to make a pretty good copy of my voice.
"I always hated to hear my voice on recordings, but I don't mind it now."
Smith admitted it makes his friends and family happy to hear his voice again after all this time. Being able to go outside by controlling the computer with telepathy, he enjoys spending time with his kids by the pool, sitting with them in the park, and even playing Mario Kart.
