TECH

Elon Musk speaks of" curing autism “with the innovations of Neuralink

Participating in a podcast devoted to the discussion of artificial intelligence (AI), Neuralink'S CEO, Elon Musk, erroneously stated that his company will be able to cure neurological disorders such as schizophrenia and Alzheimer's, as well as”curing autism". The latter, however, is an executive error, given that autism is not exactly a neurological problem, but rather a developmental disorder.
Neuralink, of Elon Musk, is a company that does research with technologies that establish interfaces between the brain and the computer. Musk's assertions can be considered an executive expectation for the company's future developments, since currently Neuralink does not have a "product" in itself, unlike SpaceX, Boring Company and Tesla - other companies headed by Musk,
"So Neuralink, I think, will first solve a series of brain-related diseases,” Musk told the podcast hosted by Lex Fridman. "It could be anything, from autism, schizophrenia, memory loss-the kind that everyone passes when they arrive at certain ages. Parents who don't remember their kids ' names, things like that.”Due to the mistaken statement about autism, Musk's words ended up sounding unconnected. As the executive did not offer more details, either one: either he does not understand what autism is really, or he was only elaborating future possibilities related to his company's capabilities, and ended up expressing himself badly.
According to the definition of autism by the World Health Organization, it is a “disorder characterized by difficulties in social interaction and communication coupled with a repetitive interest in certain activities”. The organization also indicates that it is not a difficulty that offers “healing,” nor does it have to be cured. Therefore, there is no “treatment” itself in the clinical sense of the word, but symptoms arising from autism in some cases, such as depression or moodswings, can be minimized by some types of medications and behavioural therapies.

Source: Futurism; World Health Organisation