• @MajorHavoc
    link
    English
    132
    edit-2
    26 days ago

    “asked if Neuralink would perform another surgery to fix or replace the implant, but the company declined”

    Evidence whether the company saw them as a person, or felt any ethical obligation…

    It’s an interesting era when an organization can have a single user, and choose to leave that single user with 85% of the promised functionality no longer functional. But is happily pursuing it’s second user.

    • Kraiden
      link
      fedilink
      5226 days ago

      I prefer flipping that number on it’s head. 15%. They delivered 15% of what they promised and are now saying “fuck it.”

      It’s the equivalent of writing your name on the exam, and then sitting there doodling for the rest of the time.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      4126 days ago

      with 85% of the promised functionality no longer functional

      To be fair 85% of threads retracting doesn’t seem to translate to an equal amount of functional loss. The article mentions

      Neuralink was quick to note that it was able to adjust the algorithm used for decoding those neuronal signals to compensate for the lost electrode data. The adjustments were effective enough to regain and then exceed performance on at least one metric—the bits-per-second (BPS) rate used to measure how quickly and accurately a patient with an implant can control a computer cursor.

      I think it will be impossible for us to asses how much it actually impacts function in real world use case.

      It seems clear that this is a case of learning by trial and error, which considering the stakes doesn’t seem like the right approach.

      The question that this article doesn’t answer is, whether they have learned anything at all or if they are just proceeding to do the same thing again. And if they have learned something, is there something preventing it to be applied to the first patient.

      • @MajorHavoc
        link
        English
        2026 days ago

        if they have learned something, is there something preventing it to be applied to the first patient.

        That’s part of what makes me see this as a really bad look.

        “Install it deeper” isn’t rocket science, and it sounds like their first volunteer is willing.

        They just want the extra data from leaving their first volunteer where they landed.

        Human subject experiments are supposed to carry more long term obligation than this.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          English
          6
          edit-2
          25 days ago

          Seriously. My father was part of a Deep Brain Stimulation trial. Their follow up was for ten years, just for the trial. The implant itself lasted his entire life, which I’m not feeling like doing the math. Five, six years after that?

      • Cosmic Cleric
        link
        fedilink
        English
        11
        edit-2
        26 days ago

        I think it will be impossible for us to asses how much it actually impacts function in real world use case.

        Does seem fair though to say that if you have 85% less data input/probes, that you’re losing some to a large amount of fidelity, than an algorithm can only make up so much for.

        A potentionally bad analogy, but think of it as a high bitrate versus a low bitrate, for listening to music. The quality of the music will be notably different, but you would still be able to hear both of the songs in their entirety.

        At the end of the day, it’s a lack of data that was originally expected for the algorithm to work with, that is now missing.

        Anti Commercial-AI license (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          English
          726 days ago

          Currently they’ve been having him control a cursor. He can left and right click it.

          He can perform as good as he could before the problem now it seems, so if that’s the case that extra bit rate wasn’t needed for that task.

          What this probably means is he won’t be able to do as much as they learn more about it.

          Maybe 1 year in the 2nd patient with full fidelity is able attach it to a robotic arm and fetch themselves a drink, but Nolan while he can click as good, won’t be able to do that.

          Also if they fix it eventually, as they didn’t say never, just not yet, they’ll never know if that discrepancy occurs.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        626 days ago

        For sure they learned something, they must have some ideas why those retracted. Also they confirmed viability of technology by doing tests before those retracted

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          English
          125 days ago

          This was a known problem that they didn’t fix on the animal models before moving to human trials. They learned nothing. All they did was scrap someone’s brain. But I’m sure it’s no big deal, he was a cripple right, he should be happy to be part of this /s

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      1126 days ago

      Actually, 85% retracted but the remaining 15% seems barelly receive signals. It is even worse

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      626 days ago

      While it sounds a like a dick move, there probably was a reason they would prefer other patients. Maybe it’s more risky to do surgery second time? I don’t really blame them for this one, their goal is to take best steps to develop technology before they make it widespread and really functional. I blame them for all of those animals death though.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        2226 days ago

        there probably was a reason they would prefer other patients.

        yeah, they fucked up on this one and want a new test subject.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          English
          026 days ago

          I mean yes. They wouldn’t be part of a study of two different tests were tried or even the same test install twice.

      • @MajorHavoc
        link
        English
        1126 days ago

        Yeah. I also can think of lots of reasonable reasons, but if those were the real reasons, the company should still be making commitments and plans with their first user…

        The healthy stuff sounds like: “We intend X follow up procedure, but it needs to follow Y precaution.”

        Hell, even companies that have no intention to help usually take the time to lie and claim that they do.