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April 23, 2114
(San Francisco) Brain implants are nothing new. The first cochlear implants date back well over a hundred years, and the first neuroprosthetic systems were successfully implemented therapeutically in 2023. Since then, brain implants have been broadly used to stabilize mood, improve vision, and correct paralysis. Diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, which a century ago affected billions, have been completely eradicated. One thing has always remained out of reach, however: connecting the flickers and flashes of human neural networks with the currents animating the digital realm. It has long been considered the white whale of neuroscience—an unachievable dream that drives those who pursue it mad with failure.
Until now.
Scientists working for Montague Cyberworks announced today that they have finally successfully implanted a human brain with a neural receiver that can seamlessly "talk" to computers. Results were announced at a lavish celebration at the Orpheum Theatre near City Hall.
The first scientist to seriously attempt such an interface was Julia Stauber, who spent decades working on it. Because humans and computers "think" differently, Stauber could never get the two to communicate. After she died in 2059, subsequent researchers referred to this as the Stauber Barrier.
More recent research has focused on the implantee, rather than the technology. Leading researchers at the famous Montague Cyberworks "Fishbowl" research lab hypothesized that a computer programmer might be able to breach the Stauber Barrier. Dr. Milo Wachowski, who heads the Fishbowl, held tryouts to find candidates. "It was much like the 20th century astronaut program. We put people through a series of mental and neurobiological tests to identify our best prospect. Only the best and brightest were invited to participate, and we found that success was served by youth. They have such quick, lively minds."
At the end of a nearly six-year selection process, Wachowski and his team selected Dr. Suresh Acharya, a recent MIT graduate who was recruited into the trials only a year ago. Acharya started attending college at 14, and had graduated from the school with his Ph.D. by the time he was 21. He is currently 23.
For Dr. Acharya, the experience was uncanny. "It is halfway between thinking and talking," he told reporters as he navigated his wireless environment. "I want to activate my hovercycle, and I just think-talk to it." The experience takes some getting used to, and being a Ph.D. computer scientist helps Dr. Acharya understand the machines. He admitted this wouldn’t be easy for everyone. "I understand code, and so when I encounter software, it’s a little like speaking a foreign language." He paused and added, "Actually, it’s like speaking many languages. Every computer sounds different. They feel different. When you interact with them, it’s like there’s an intelligence there, a personality almost."
The implants require a nine-hour surgical procedure that comes with a lot of risks. The prototype implant in Dr. Acharya’s brain cost nearly a billion dollars to create. "It will be some time before these are consumer products," Dr. Wachowski conceded. But he was certain they were the future of humans. "It’s an evolution. First we evolved big brains to create civilization. Then we started inventing very advanced technologies. The next evolution is unprecedented—we have ourselves created an artificial world that will become part of our consciousness."
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