Elon Musk fans ‘terrified’ after first human gets Neuralink brain chip – as they proclaim ‘first cyborg has been born’

CONSUMERS have been left divided over Elon Musk's new brain microchip finally being implanted in the first human test subject.

According to Musk the new technology, Neuralink, "will enable someone with paralysis to use a smartphone with their mind faster than someone using thumbs."

The Neuralink mission is to "restore autonomy" to individuals with "unmet medical needs," as an immediate goal with a vision to "unlock human potential" in the future.

In May, Neuralink received FDA clearance for its first-in-human clinical trial, with the company saying it initially wanted to test on 10 humans, but that number has since changed to only six human subjects.

"This is the result of incredible work by the Neuralink team in close collaboration with the FDA and represents an important first step that will one day allow our technology to help many people," Neuralink tweeted.

In a speech at the company headquarters back in December, Musk addressed concerns and his plan for caution moving forward.

"We want to be extremely careful and certain that it will work before putting a device into a human," he said.

"The progress at first, particularly as it applies to humans, will seem perhaps agonizingly slow, but we are doing all of the things to bring it to scale in parallel."

Neuralink announced its search for human test subject on November 21 via X with a short video detailing what the "PRIME" study would entail.

Standing for "Precise Robotically IMplanted brain-computer InterfacE," the study asked for people "living with quadriplegia due to spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)," to consider being the first to receive the implant.

Musk announced on January 29 that the first implant in a human was placed on the previous day.

"The first human received an implant from @Neuralink yesterday and is recovering well. Initial results show promising neuron spike detection," read the post.

A FANBASE DIVIDED

People have had split reactions over the news, with some seeing the advancement as foreboding and others viewing it as hopeful.

"The negative potential of this makes me very uneasy," wrote one individual on X.

"I'm terrified by the thought of it," slammed another.

To which someone replied, "Elon can turn off this fear with a chip in your brain."

"Matrix time," simply put one person, referencing the iconic dystopian movie.

"The first cyborg has been born," shared another.

But it is not all doom and gloom as people react to the news, many are astounded by the advancement and are excited to see how it places in history.

"Well done Neuralink and Elon!! This might very well turn out to be an important moment in history," wrote one user.

"This is awesome news, we’re expanding on the two final frontiers. Space and the mind, can’t wait for the next company talk. So excited!" shared another.

Some were thirsty for more information on the human trial development.

"This is crazy, holy crap. I can't wait to get more info. Can you share more about what you're treating?" asked a follower.

"I was wondering about the neuron spikes. Good to hear," wrote another.

CONTROVERSIAL TESTING FROM THE START

In April 2021, Neuralink showed a Macaque, known as Pager, with one of the chips playing Pong.

The animal was seen using a joystick manually and then operating it with only its mind via a wireless connection with the chip.

Neuralink reportedly implanted Bluetooth-enabled chips into the brains of several monkeys to see if they could communicate with computers through a small receiver.

Some of the test subjects are believed to have "suffered infections from the implanted electrodes placed in their brains," said the company.

About 1,500 animals - including more than 280 sheep, pigs, and monkeys - have died as a result of Neuralink tests since 2018, according to a report from last December.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine filed a lawsuit claiming it had evidence macaques used in previous trials were subjected to horrific suffering in 2022.

They claimed the animals were subject to "extreme suffering" - with one monkey having holes drilled in its skull.

Experiments allegedly left 15 out of 23 monkeys dead.

In one instance, a monkey was found missing some fingers and toes, possibly caused by self-mutilation, legal papers claim.

Another case revealed a female macaque monkey had electrodes implanted into its brain, which caused it to be overcome with vomiting, retching and gasping.

An autopsy later showed the monkey suffered from a brain hemorrhage.

Bloody skin infections, monkeys collapsing and other horrific side effects were also recorded in the results, according to court papers.

Neuralink conducted its monkey experiments in partnership with scientists at the University of California, Davis.

"No monkey has died as a result of a Neuralink implant. First, our early implants, to minimize risk to healthy monkeys, we chose terminal moneys (sic) (close to death already)," Musk replied to a meme on X.