Neuralink plans to begin another US clinical trial in October, using the implant to translate thoughts into text, reports tech platform Engadget.
The study will be held through an FDA investigational device exemption.
"If you're imagining saying something, we would be able to pick that up," Neuralink president DJ Seo said this week.
The idea is to help people with speech impairments communicate through thought. Neuralink is among the companies testing implants that help patients control a computer with their minds.
That can include using virtual keyboards. Translating thought directly from the patient's speech cortex could speed things up by cutting the middleman.
The company already has five other clinical trials underway.
The first was in the US. It has since added studies in Canada, the UK and the United Arab Emirates.
Neuralink's plans for people with severe impairments sound like utopian sci-fi. Regardless of anything else, success in this field could be beyond life-changing for them.
Still, this is a commercial company in which Elon Musk owns a majority share. Neuralink's long-term plans are where it's hard not to worry a little.
"We're currently envisioning a world where in about three to four years, there will be someone who's otherwise healthy who's going to get a Neuralink," Seo said.
The company president hinted at what that might look like.
"We think that it's actually possible to demonstrate abilities to speak to the latest AI model, or LLM models, at the speed of thought, even faster than how you're speaking, and being able to potentially get that information back through your AirPods, effectively closing the loop," he said.
