Putin acknowledges threats, praises Elon Musk's Neuralink in interview with Tucker Carlson

In the extensive two-hour interview, published on American journalist Tucker Carlson's website, Putin was presented with numerous questions. One such question was in reference to artificial intelligence. The Russian President felt that experts were best suited to answer, but still acknowledged the many threats humanity is currently facing.

In the interview, Carlson brought up Elon Musk's groundbreaking Neuralink technology. Putin admitted to being aware of the company's recent milestones, like the introduction of the first chip in a human brain. Consequently, he mentioned that it would be beneficial to formulate an agreement with Musk as "this process needs to be structured and subject to certain rules." The Russian leader further commended the entrepreneur, stating: "I think he's a smart guy. I genuinely believe that."

The interview revealed that Putin is staying informed about Neuralink's progress. The company has been working on developing a brain-computer interface for several years. Elon Musk envisions that these implants will help cure various diseases and enhance human intelligence (especially as artificial intelligence begins to surpass our abilities). Until now, these chips have been tested on animals such as rats, pigs, and monkeys.

In early 2021, Neuralink showcased a video demonstrating a monkey playing a simple videogame - Pong, using its thoughts and the implanted chip. Towards the end of 2022, Musk presented additional footage of a monkey using a brain implant to control a cursor and typing on a computer. Then, in January 2024, he finally announced that a chip had been implanted into a human brain.

Musk shared this news on platform X, a network he owns. He announced that the first human received a Neuralink implant on January 28 of that year. He added, "Preliminary results show promising detection of neuronal impulses". According to Musk, the implant, dubbed "Telepathy", enables the user to control a phone, a computer, or nearly any device through them. The first expected users of this chip are those who have lost mobility in their limbs.