Neuralink’s mission statement includes the words: “If you can’t beat them, join them”. Neuralink has been operational since 2016 when Elon Musk founded the company along with a group of neuroscientists.

The team ranges in expertise from brain-machine interfaces to electrical engineering and overcoming obstacles associated with wearable devices. In short, it’s Musk’s defence against the inevitable rise of artificial intelligence.

Elon Musk said on Twitter earlier this week that Neuralink would be hosting a live webcast to demonstrate a working Brain-Machine Interface (BMI) device. Here’s what you need to know.

Neuralink presentation, Friday 28 August

Time and place

The Neuralink demonstration is scheduled to go live at 15:00 Pacific Time (PT). If you’re watching from South Africa, you’d want to stay up late or set the alarm for 00:00 SAST.

The place is right here. We’ll include a live stream below once one becomes available.

Watch: Neuralink webcast

What to expect

Wired describes it best: “Musk’s startup Neuralink exhibits this way of thinking best of all: Machines with artificial intelligence are outpacing humankind. Ergo, implant computer chips in human brains to level up the species.”

According to Musk, Neuralink is prepared to show a working second version of the chip it first introduced back in 2019. If all goes according to plan, Musk intends to “show neurons firing in real-time”.

What is Neuralink?

Neuralink is the ambitious company from Elon Musk, it’s his “answer to the threat he believes artificial intelligence poses to the human race”. In short, Neuralink could shape the future of humanity.

The tiny computer chip is designed to be attached to a human brain using a network of superfine electrode-studded wires. Once implanted (or as I like to think of it, “plugged in”) it is supposed to pick up signals in the brain.

The signals will be translated into motor controls. This includes anything from controlling devices with our brain to one day “repairing” the brain of a person inflicted with blindness and paralysis”.

And also, if Musk gets his way, it will be humanity’s defence against AI. When he introduced Neuralink in 2019, Musk explained that humanity will be left behind, “even in a benign AI scenario”.

Watch: Merging humans with AI