Patients with severe neurological conditions, like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), may now be able to communicate with loved ones through generative AI. Last week, neurotechnology company Synchron announced its integration of OpenAI’s technology into its brain-computer interface (BCI) program. This advancement allows users with severe motor impairments to send contextually-aware messages using their thoughts.
When a patient receives a text or is spoken to, OpenAI’s multimodal GPT models provide Synchron’s interface with context-aware responses, enabling more natural and real-time human-AI interactions. A video posted by Synchron shows Mark, an ALS patient, using the BCI to reply to text messages from his doctor. Using his mind to interact with a ChatGPT-enabled platform, Mark maintains a conversation, arranges an appointment, and describes his pain levels.
Synchron announced that their new feature will be primarily used by patients with severe paralysis who have lost the use of their upper limbs, allowing them to interact hands-free with the world around them.
“This is critical for individuals with neurological disorders, who may otherwise have trouble generating complex responses contextual to their environment,” Synchron stated.
Mark, an ALS patient using Synchron’s BCI platform, expressed optimism: “As someone who will likely lose the ability to communicate as my disease progresses, this technology gives me hope that in the future I’ll still have a way to easily connect with loved ones. This will be a game changer.”
Founded in 2012 and backed by tech billionaires Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, Synchron is developing an implant that enables people to interface with computers and other technology, similar to Elon Musk’s Neuralink.
Synchron’s BCI boasts a “minimally-invasive” surgical procedure, where the tiny device is inserted via the jugular vein in the neck and then moved to a blood vessel on the motor cortex of the brain. Once implanted, the device wirelessly detects and transmits “motor intent” from the brain, allowing paralyzed users to control devices with their minds.
In contrast, Neuralink’s brain chip is implanted through surgery that involves opening a small section of the skull and using a surgical robot to place the device in the brain region that controls movement intention. On May 13, Neuralink showcased footage of its first human patient, 29-year-old quadriplegic Noland Arbaugh, controlling a computer cursor and playing games like Civilization V using only his mind.