Human Receives First Neuralink Brain Implant, Plays Civilization 6

What better way to test your new “Cyberpunk-like” brain with a good ‘ol strategy game, right? This is what the first human recipient of the Neuralink brain-computer interface (BCI) did, as he tested his “new” brain by playing a highly touted grand strategy game, Civilization VI.

This comes as the Elon Musk-led company has etched a new milestone – the successful implantation of its BCI in a human recipient.

The implications of this breakthrough reverberate far beyond the realms of science fiction, heralding a future where the boundaries between man and machine blur, paving the way for unprecedented levels of autonomy and seamless human-machine symbiosis.

At the center of the latest breakthrough is Noland Arbaugh, a 29-year-old quadriplegic who has become the first human to experience the power of Neuralink’s BCI.

Arbaugh shared his experience in a livestream, where he expressed his newfound ability to manipulate a computer cursor by means of just mere thought, in what he describes as using the “force,” referencing multimedia juggernaut IP Star Wars.

“It was like using the force on the curser, and I could get it to move wherever I wanted, just stare somewhere at the screen, and it would move where I wanted it to, which was such a wild experience,” Arbaugh said.

Arbaugh’s prior inability to do certain tasks came as he sustained a spinal injury during a diving accident eight years ago. The accident robbed him of sensation and movement below the shoulders.

His determination to recover some of the lost control and sensation in his body willed him to volunteer for the Neuralink trials, with his determination helping him achieve partial control back.

And what did he do with this recovered control? Play Civilization VI.

“One of the first times you all gave me complete control over this [Neuralink tech], I actually stayed up until […] like 6am playing Civilization 6,” Arbaugh told Neuralink scientist Bliss Chapman.

He added “It was worth it, I think is the best way to put it, it was awesome.”

Arbaugh’s experience signifies the importance of the new technology. If he can pull an all-nighter playing Civilization VI, imagine what the horizon brings for a technology touted as “wild” just a couple of years ago, can achieve. (GFB)