Illustration: AI
Neuralink has connected a brain implant to an iPhone: the Bloom app feeds speech synthesised from brain signals into a phone call (kursiv.media). The feature was tested at the home of a participant with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. The key point for readers in Kazakhstan is that this was a trial involving one person.
What happened
The study participant had lost the ability to move and speak. During a 72-hour session at the participant’s home, engineers tested the implant, Bloom app and iPhone together.
Bloom feeds synthesised speech into the audio channel of a phone call. At the start of a conversation, the system can play a greeting explaining to the person on the other end that an assistive communication device is being used.
What this means for Kazakhstan
For readers in Kazakhstan, the technology’s practical value is the ability to communicate after losing speech. In the trial described, the participant could call loved ones and use other phone functions, such as ordering food.
The iPhone connection is only one part of the system. Speech is generated by an app that processes signals from the brain implant. It would therefore be premature to view the result as a routine new smartphone feature.
Neuralink also reported typing speeds achieved through its speech interface. In their first week, one participant typed 75 English words per minute with an error rate of 5.8%. The company stresses that this is an early result from one person and cannot be generalised to everyone using the system.
Why Grok was connected to the implant
Engineers also added the AI agent Grok, an assistant capable of carrying out actions on a computer. The participant silently says “Hey, Neuralink”, then states a task. Grok then controls the operating system and carries out the commands.
The system has learned to detect attempts to speak, so there is no longer any need to start and stop recording separately. Engineers also added a display of the implant’s signals. These data are needed to improve the models that turn brain activity into commands and speech.
