Posted on 05/09/2025 9:37:33 AM PDT by Red Badger
In a new advancement for brain-computer interface (BCI) technology, Brad Smith, the first nonverbal patient to receive Neuralink’s brain implant, has demonstrated how he edited and narrated video footage using only his brain signals.
Smith is currently living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive neurodegenerative disease that impairs voluntary muscle control. In the video posted on YouTube last month, he demonstrated how he relies on Neuralink for all forms of communication.
Smith is now the third person in the world to receive Elon Musk’s Neuralink brain chip, and the first with ALS. In January, Musk seemingly confirmed Smith’s participation in Neuralink trials in a posting on his social media platform X, saying at the time that “We’ve got… now three humans with Neuralinks implanted, and they’re all working well.”
Over the years, Smith has lost all ability to speak and move. Prior to recieving Neuralink’s brain interface chip, he relied on eye-gaze technology, which primarily only helped him dim the lighting in his home.
VIDEO AT LINK...........................
“It took years to get here, and I still break down and cry,” Smith told journalist and Musk biographer Ashlee Vance, writing for his Substack publication Core Memory. “It is really nice to have a purpose greater than me. I am really excited to serve others in the future with this work.”
About the size of five stacked quarters with more than 1,000 electrodes, the brain implant device was placed in Smith’s motor cortex, which works by conveying neural signals related to specific movement intentions.
Smith says that instead of imagining moving his hands, he uses his thoughts of tongue movements and jaw clenching to navigate and click a mouse cursor on his computer. This type of thought control allows him to edit his YouTube videos entirely through his mind, and allowed Smith to become the first person in history to edit video solely through the use of a brain computer interface.
Going one step further, the video also featured narration in Smith’s own voice, reconstructed with AI using past recordings of him speaking.
“It took years to get here. Sometimes I still cry. But I feel like I finally have a purpose greater than me. I hope this helps others in the future,” says Smith in the YouTube video.
In a separate clip shared by Vance, Musk called Smith during a visit from the Neuralink team. “I hope this is a game changer for you and your family,” Musk said. Smith responded through his computer-generated voice, saying “I’m excited to get this in my head and stop using eye-gaze.”
With the implant, Smith can now communicate in various lighting conditions, play games like Mario Kart with his kids, and communicate digitally with others in ways that were never possible before.
Neuralink, which previously tested its device on monkeys, implanted its first human chip in January 2024. Noland Arbaugh, a quadriplegic, was the first patient and similarly credited the technology with restoring a sense of independence and connection, while also learning Japanese and relearning math by using “The Link” implant.
In 2024, Neuralink disclosed that Arbaugh had experienced medical complications, including the retraction of some threads connecting the implant to his brain. The company responded to these claims and said that the chip’s algorithm had been addressed, reporting that The Link had been restored back to proper working order.
Meanwhile, Neuralink has also faced growing scrutiny over allegations of animal cruelty involving the deaths of monkeys, which gained widespread attention last year.
Smith’s story, by contrast, is more than just an edge science achievement: it is a profound glimpse into how BCI technology could ssoon help reshape the lives of people around the world who suffer severe physical disabilities.
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Chrissy Newton is a PR professional and founder of VOCAB Communications. She currently appears on The Discovery Channel and Max and hosts the Rebelliously Curious podcast, which can be found on YouTube and on all audio podcast streaming platforms. Follow her on X: @ChrissyNewton, Instagram: @BeingChrissyNewton, and chrissynewton.com.
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What could possibly go wrong?
George Segal - The Terminal Man
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hycWql3cXKg
Neuralink brings them something they couldn't have, do or experience and that's what matters. But it's still the stuff of nightmares for me.
I had sex with Morena Baccarin using only my brain (imagination).
Just wow.
In other news, Democrat Staffers log hours of tax payer funded work with just their fingers on keyboards, no brain function involved.
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