Elon Musk's start-up Neuralink on Thursday said it has gotten approval from US regulators to test its brain implants in people.
The aim of Neuralink implants is to enable human brains to communicate directly with computers.
Musk has said that he thinks humanity will be able to achieve "symbiosis with artificial intelligence" through Neuralink.
As per Musk, Neuralink was "intended to address the existential risk associated with digital superintelligence.
Musk's theory was humans will not be smarter than a digital supercomputer with AI in place, therefore, if 'you cannot beat them, join them'.
Neuralink is developing two bits of equipment. The first is a chip that would be implanted in a person's skull, with electrodes fanning out into their brain.
From the chip an array of tiny wires, each roughly 20 times thinner than a human hair, fan out into the patient's brain.
The second is a robot that could automatically implant the chip.
Notably, the use of a chip in someone's brain could be to treat neurological disorders like Parkinson's.