Chipping In

Among all of Elon Musk’s juggling of extraordinary ventures, Neuralink slips under the radar because it is at a nascent stage and even the technology of implanting chips into the brain to make human beings function better demands moving very cautiously. On July 21, however, Neuralink performed one small leap when it announced that it had done the implants on two patients on a single day for the first time ever. These were its eighth and ninth surgeries.

At present, these implants are being done on people with serious neurological medical conditions and those who suffer from issues like paralysis. Specific details about the two patients were not shared but Neuralink posted on X, “Both participants are recovering well and in great spirits. We are looking forward to supporting them on their Neuralink journey.” Musk too wrote on his account that eventually millions, or even billions, would benefit from the technology. “Imagine your loved one being able to walk again or your parent with dementia being able to recognize their child again,” he added.

The long-term vision of Neuralink is equally ambitious. Once the technology is tested and perfected, regular healthy people will also be able to receive implants to enhance their functioning. Even AI could, in the distant future, be integrated directly into the brain.

Prompt Explosion

The scale of the AI explosion is evident in the latest numbers of how many people have been using ChatGPT. Quoting OpenAI, which owns ChatGPT, Axios revealed that each day the AI platform sees 2.5 billion prompts. More than 500 million use it weekly though most don’t pay, which also highlights the issue of monetising AI that all the big players in the field are grappling with.

Look Preview

Designs of new mobile phone models get leaked despite the best attempts at secrecy by manufacturers, who want to make a splash at the launch event. Google has pre-empted it for its Google Pixel 10 launch which is to happen on August 20. It released a teaser video which ends with an image of the phone. It has curved edges and a raised  horizontal camera on the back.

Global UPI

UPI has increased its footprint outside India with PayPal, the global payment platform, announcing PayPal World, which will connect “many of the world’s largest payment systems and digital wallets on a single platform”. UPI is one of the partners in it. For example, someone in India can make an online transaction through PayPal in the US and at the payment point a UPI button will be available.

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