Neuralink's Telepathy Receives FDA 'Breakthrough' Tag

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The Facts

  • Neuralink — billionaire Elon Musk's brain-chip startup — announced Tuesday that its experimental implant for restoring vision in patients, titled Telepathy, had received the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) "breakthrough device" designation.

  • The FDA distributes the designation to medical devices that diagnose or target life-threatening conditions, so as to speed up the development and review process for such technologies.


The Spin

Narrative A

Just when we thought Musk’s contributions were limited to Tesla and SpaceX, he surprises us with something as groundbreaking as Blindsight. This new medical development could be the X owner's great gift to society.

Narrative B

There are numerous biological obstacles related to the eyes — both in people who've lost their sight and those who have been blind since birth — that must be overcome before there's even the slightest hope of a breakthrough with this device. A cure for blindness is a long way off, and we should not be jumping to give Musk credit before any hard evidence of progress is provided.


Metaculus Prediction


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