I’m no neuroscientist (just a regular scientist who happens to know a little about neurology). But those quotes are entirely speculation. Dealing first with the premise of the comic:
(1) The comic has the chip loading arbitrary memories into a person’s brain. In order to do that, we would have to have a total map of the person’s brain and then craft a memory that fits into it. The processing power and the number of interconnections to have a total map are entirely in the realm of science fiction for the foreseeable future. Neuralink is advertising 1024 electrodes. To pull this off you would need trillions of electrodes.
(2) Furthermore, you’d need to have a computer craft the precise stimulus response mapped to an individuals unique neural network – that would mean that a computer will have had to completely decode their entire brain and memories first, or at a minimum be able to simulate their entire brain. And then run a bunch of forward models trying to fit the new data into the existing data in a seamless way. Yes, theoretically possible given infinite computing power, but not actually practical.
(3) The first two require major leaps in technology beyond neuralink itself. Probably you’re looking at borg style nano-machines in order to pull off this level of neural integration and the processing power to map, understand, and model an entire brain (NVIDIA isn’t going to cut it, even projecting Moore’s law decades down the road).
(4) In conclusion, Elon will never be able to pull this off the comic before he dies.
Now, if you assume Elon is extrapolating into the far future.
(5) saving and replaying memories might be easier, because you don’t have to map and entire brain (just a section), and you don’t have to model the brain to create the memory – just restimulate the same neurons. This is probable, with or without Neuralink, as a technological advancement in probably decades.
(6) Likewise, copying an existing brain into a new or simulated brain is easier than injecting a memory into an existing brain. You’d still need to have another “blank brain” as a host (whatever form that entails), and you’d need enough data from your real brain to make the copy (well, that brings us back to items 2&3). This is probable, with or without Neuralink, as a technological advancement in probably centuries.
Neither 5 nor 6 help with the premise of the comic. But I suppose if we have the tech to do (6) in a few centuries, we could probably have the computing power to model new memories on an individual basis too.
1, the comic is a joke, and 2, the author obviously doesn’t believe the technology will exist imminently since the premise is what Elon has promised it will do, not the actual science and what is currently possible.
Stop giving the benefit of the doubt to somebody who has repeatedly and demonstrably lied about the capabilities of things they have a financial interest in. He has more money than God, in part in thanks to his deceit, he really doesn’t need your help.
The problem with the comic’s premise is that Neuralink doesn’t do memories at all. It’s more like a replacement for a keyboard and mouse.
But sure, I guess: never pass up a cheap shot on Elon ;)
Elon Musk says you could save and replay memories with Neuralink
‘The future’s gonna be weird’: Musk says memories could be downloaded into a new body or robot
Technology’s red flag.
What, are you saying we shouldn’t build the Torment Nexus as envisioned in sci-fi classic ‘Don’t Create the Torment Nexus’?
He’s also said that full self driving mode is just a year away… He’s said that 10 years running.
He also said we’d be on mars by 2021.
…and here’s a 20 second clip where he lets on that he knows it’s all a grift…
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1cRxuOG-zNE
I’m no neuroscientist (just a regular scientist who happens to know a little about neurology). But those quotes are entirely speculation. Dealing first with the premise of the comic:
(1) The comic has the chip loading arbitrary memories into a person’s brain. In order to do that, we would have to have a total map of the person’s brain and then craft a memory that fits into it. The processing power and the number of interconnections to have a total map are entirely in the realm of science fiction for the foreseeable future. Neuralink is advertising 1024 electrodes. To pull this off you would need trillions of electrodes.
(2) Furthermore, you’d need to have a computer craft the precise stimulus response mapped to an individuals unique neural network – that would mean that a computer will have had to completely decode their entire brain and memories first, or at a minimum be able to simulate their entire brain. And then run a bunch of forward models trying to fit the new data into the existing data in a seamless way. Yes, theoretically possible given infinite computing power, but not actually practical.
(3) The first two require major leaps in technology beyond neuralink itself. Probably you’re looking at borg style nano-machines in order to pull off this level of neural integration and the processing power to map, understand, and model an entire brain (NVIDIA isn’t going to cut it, even projecting Moore’s law decades down the road).
(4) In conclusion, Elon will never be able to pull this off the comic before he dies.
Now, if you assume Elon is extrapolating into the far future.
(5) saving and replaying memories might be easier, because you don’t have to map and entire brain (just a section), and you don’t have to model the brain to create the memory – just restimulate the same neurons. This is probable, with or without Neuralink, as a technological advancement in probably decades.
(6) Likewise, copying an existing brain into a new or simulated brain is easier than injecting a memory into an existing brain. You’d still need to have another “blank brain” as a host (whatever form that entails), and you’d need enough data from your real brain to make the copy (well, that brings us back to items 2&3). This is probable, with or without Neuralink, as a technological advancement in probably centuries.
Neither 5 nor 6 help with the premise of the comic. But I suppose if we have the tech to do (6) in a few centuries, we could probably have the computing power to model new memories on an individual basis too.
Elon will be dead by then.
1, the comic is a joke, and 2, the author obviously doesn’t believe the technology will exist imminently since the premise is what Elon has promised it will do, not the actual science and what is currently possible.
Stop giving the benefit of the doubt to somebody who has repeatedly and demonstrably lied about the capabilities of things they have a financial interest in. He has more money than God, in part in thanks to his deceit, he really doesn’t need your help.
no. this is a cheap shot.