Comment by WalterBright

19 days ago

> There are a lot of ethical issues surrounding Neuralink and how it would be used

Like what? (There are always ethical issues with new medical technology.)

> It might be good for certain medical stuff

Yes, like giving sight to the blind! What a monster Musk is!

P.S. two of my largest medical fears are becoming paralyzed or going blind. Neuralink has promise in making these treatable. I'm all for it!

> Like what? (There are always ethical issues with new medical technology.)

Like mind control, thought surveillance, neural torture (the last one would be easiest).

I think these are inevitable technologies, I don't blame Neuralink in particular.

  • Mean people already do these things. Other people are already trying to use AI to decode your brainwaves and thoughts. There's no evidence Neuralink is doing anything unethical.

Neuralink has various potentials. One of them is that it becomes obligatory or even mandatory... If you don't get it, you'll be accused of being a luddite. It will probably start as a medical tool and progress to there.

The problem is that you are giving away access to your mind, one of the last private spaces. That means your thoughts can be stolen (think AI scraping but worse), or advertising put in your dreams. Perhaps even used to reprogram your mind etc.

  • > One of them is that it becomes obligatory or even mandatory...

    Given how smartphones have percolated society, I fear you may have a point, but I think that might be the slippery slope fallacy.

    • It's a pattern. Technology doesn't always mean something is better. Sometimes it does, but not always.

> What a monster Musk is!

Glad we’re on the same page.

When I was using Zortech C++ in the ‘80s, I never imagined I’d be talking to the author nearly half a century later about his support for a fascist Nazi near-trillionaire.

Wtf is wrong with you.

  • I wouldn't support Musk if he was a fascist nazi. My personal views are libertarian.

    • > I wouldn't support Musk if he was a fascist nazi.

      That's not how that works.

      Musk is, by many definitions well across the line distinguishing the 'fascist nazi's' from the rest of us.

      Normalization of deviance slowly shifts the window to the point where his behavior is excused. Some people think it is acceptable because of all of the (potential) good a person could do or has already done. That's roughly the equivalent of 'Hitler was a vegetarian, and liked animals, how bad could he be?'. But The country that spawned the movement (so I think they get to make the call) thinks he is. And Musk's support for the German AfD (which is a thin layer of veneer over a despicable group) speaks volumes, yes, let's 'Make Germany Great Again' ffs. Even the Neo Nazi's think he is a Nazi. Elon has made Twitter (sorry, 'X') into a safe haven for the alt-right and various hate groups.

      If it quacks like a Nazi and moves like a Nazi it probably is a Nazi. Whether you support him or not changes nothing about Elon but it does say something about you that you continue to support him despite everything he has already undeniably done and I'm disappointed, to put it mildly.

      "never meet your heroes".

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    • I don’t think he is a fascist nazi either. But I do think he is happy to support them as long as they make him feel special, and that’s bad enough.

      The man is deeply unwell and desperate for approval and accolades. From anyone.

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