HEALTH CARE

Neuralink’s speech-restoring device set for October trial

It’s the stuff of science fiction, but this isn’t “Star Trek,” and it’s no longer fiction as Elon Musk’s Nearalink gears up to test another brain chip device, this time for those who have lost their ability to speak. 

Neuralink will start a clinical trial of its newest device designed to restore speech as early as next month, according to a new report.

In May, Elon Musk’s brain implant company received FDA Breakthrough Designation for its implanted brain-computer interface technology that the company said will let those with speech disorders communicate again by recording and decoding brain signals to turn thought into speech or text. 

A link to join Neuralink’s patient registry to be part of the clinical trial is still live on the company’s website. 

During a lecture at the Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies in Seoul last week, Neuralink’s president and COO DJ Seo discussed the project as part of his presentation, Bloomberg reported. Seo said the device could translate imagined speech into actual words.

Founded in 2016, Neuralink has been busy the past two years. In January 2024, the company successfully completed its first chip implant in a human brain, followed by a second patient receiving an implant eight months later. And in September that year, Neuralnik received Breakthrough Device Designation from the FDA for its eye-sight restoring device Blindsight.

Since then, the pace has only accelerated. Here’s a look at some of Neuralink’s 2025 milestones: 

• April: Musk said the first patient will receive Neuralink’s Blindsight, this year

• May: Brad Smith, the first nonverbal recipient of a Neuralink brain chip, released a video sharing how he was able to create, edit and narrate a video using the brain computer interface. Smith has ALS

• June: Company announces it raised $650 million in a series E funding round

• July: Neuralink starts recruiting for its first clinical study in Great Britain 

• September: Two Canadian patients with spinal cord injuries received  brain chip implants

What once sounded like science fiction is now in human trials. While Neuralink grabs headlines thanks to Musk, it’s far from alone. Just last month, Sam Altman announced he was co-founding Merge Labs, a brain interface startup that puts him in direct competition with his longtime rival. That rivalry could fuel faster breakthroughs, and with other players like Synchron in the mix, the race is on to reinvent not only how we interact with technology, but how technology helps us interact.

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HUMANOID ROBOTS

OpenAI signals plans for humanoid robots

OpenAI is doubling down on humanoid robots.

Over the past year, the ChatGPT creator has been quietly expanding its robotics department, with a spate of job listings calling for engineers and researchers with expertise in robotic control, sensing and real-world mobility.

While it’s not yet clear whether the company plans to build its own robots or create the software to power humanoids, the move indicates that OpenAI is serious about staking its claim.

OpenAI has yet to comment on the news (and did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication). However, recent listings on its careers page show that the company is seeking mechanical engineers, robotics research engineers and software specialists.

Job posts range from mechanical and software engineers with skills in prototyping, building robot sensors and designing, implementing and optimizing "across diverse robotics hardware."

“Our robotics team is focused on unlocking general-purpose robotics and pushing towards AGI-level intelligence in dynamic, real-world settings,” OpenAI wrote in the listing.

In January, OpenAI showcased its humanoid robotics aspirations by filing a trademark application that notably included “user-programmable humanoid robots.”

Since then, several roboticists have joined the team, including Stanford’s Chengshu Li, who worked on benchmarking humanoid robots for household chores. 

OpenAI has been circling the humanoid space for a while. It was a lead investor in 1X Technologies, developer of the NEO Gamma, as well as Swedish humanoid startup Figure.

Benjamin Lee, a professor of engineering and computer science at the University of Pennsylvania, told The Deep View that OpenAI’s shift into humanoid robotics is not surprising, as robotics is a natural next step for foundational research.

“Moving forward, the potential gains from research in robotics may be greater than those from research in large language models,” Lee said. “But although this is a natural next step for AI research, it is not an obvious next step for AI companies seeking to broaden technology adoption and develop profitable business models.”

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GENERATIVE AI

AI advice grows in popularity, despite the risk

ChatGPT has rapidly become one of the most popular sources for advice in America, but overreliance on AI could be leading people astray.

A new report from Pearl.AI found that 40% of 2,000 Americans surveyed use AI weekly, looking for advice on everything from medical issues to financial and legal questions. 

Over the past 6 months, 65% of respondents said they’ve used generative AI for issues they previously trusted only to human experts. 

However, the report found that a large number are being misled.

The findings showed:

• 22% of Americans have followed AI’s medical advice, which was later proven wrong

• 42% of Millennials believe AI can give them all the financial advice they’d ever need

• 19% have lost money from bad AI advice 

• 28% of Americans would sign a legal document drafted entirely by AI

• 31% would let an AI lawyer defend them in court 

Pearl founder and CEO Andy Kurtzig said the trend stems from cost and accessibility barriers faced by the general public, particularly those in urban communities.

He said, however, that turning to AI as an alternative resource is a “dangerous gamble.” 

“The promise of AI is speed, but its defining weakness is confidence without certainty, Kurtzig told The Deep View. 

“We’re being sold a tool that mimics authority it hasn’t earned, creating a structural safety gap in every high-stakes field it touches,” he said. “The risk isn’t just bad information; it’s the illusion of expertise.”

The response, Kurtzig said, should be to maintain a human in the loop strategy when it comes to building AI systems through a “hybrid intelligence” blending AI’s accessibility with “the indispensable wisdom of a verified human expert.”

LINKS

• Meta ordered by judge not to give Instagram user data to Homeland Security

• Apple’s new iPhone Air chip architecture puts AI front and center

• AI glasses fail during Zuckerberg’s Meta Connect keynote

• What does the future hold for generative AI?

• North Korea makes AI-powered military drones a top priority

• Oracle to handle TikTok’s data in pending deal

• Trump’s $100,000 H1-B visa fee spurs confusion and chaos

• The invisible backbone of the UAE’s AI superpower dreams

• CarEdge AI Agent: Negotiates car deals for you, using market data and private aliases to save you time and get the best price.

• YouMind: From ideas to polished content like articles, podcasts, videos and more, this tool helps simplify the process.

• Creao: Describe the app you want, and Creao’s AI builds the complete infrastructure, no coding required.

• VidAU: Create high-ROI video ads in seconds with this AI-powered toolkit built for marketers and eCom sellers.

• Microsoft 365 Copilot: Microsoft’s collaboration-focused AI agents act as AI teammates to enhance collaboration across projects, meetings and communities.

• OpenAI: Android Engineer, ChatGPT

• Meta: Software Engineer, Computer Vision

• 1X Technologies AS: Supply Chain Planner, Advanced Robotics Commodities

• Glean: Product Design Lead, AI Products

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