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Last week, American brain-computer interface (BCI) company Synchron announced that it would integrate OpenAI's artificial intelligence model into the chat function of its BCI platform, which can provide users with generative chat functions.

Image source: Synchron official website

Synchron said the new AI chat feature can receive input from text, audio, and images.It also generates reminders for users that can be used when texting, which will help users interact with the outside world more effectively and naturally.

The press release wrote that a 64-year-old ALS patient named Mark said, "As my disease worsens, I may lose the ability to communicate. But this technology gives me hope that there will still be a way for me to easily connect with my loved ones in the future. This will be a revolution."

It is understood that Mark had Synchron's BCI implanted in August 2023. He has been intermittently testing the new AI chat function over the past two months. Mark told the media that the new function can help him save precious time and energy when texting.

Using BCI requires concentration and repeated practice. Mark said that AI has helped him reduce some of the pressure when replying to messages. "I no longer need to type every word. I can complete most of the sentence by pressing one or two buttons or clicking."

Image source: Synchron official website

Mark said he has been able to use the chat feature to book doctor appointments and keep in touch with his daughters. Mark, who has worked in the flower industry for more than 20 years, also revealed that he recently used the tool to talk about gardening with a Synchron employee.

Synchron CEO Thomas Oxley said the company chose OpenAI for the AI ​​model, but he noted that the two companies are not in an exclusive partnership and that Synchron will not share brain data with OpenAI.

Currently, no BCI company has received approval from the US FDA for technology commercialization. Oxley said that it is currently preparing for larger trials with more patients, and Mark is only the company's 10th patient. But this is already ahead of its peer Neuralink.

In comparison, Neuralink only performed its first human surgery in January this year. It should be noted that Neuralink's system requires a craniotomy to be implanted into the patient's brain tissue, while Synchron only requires minimally invasive surgery, which is naturally less risky.

It is reported that Musk complained at an internal meeting in July last year that Synchron's products are far ahead of Neuralink's technology.

On February 1, 2024, local time, Synchron announced that it had acquired a minority stake in German thin-film component technology company Acquandas. Synchron will obtain exclusive use rights to the latter's medical device layering technology. In addition, two Synchron executives will also join Acquandas' board of directors.

It is understood that Synchron was founded in 2012 and the company has developed a brain-computer interface (BCI) called "Synchron Switch". The interface is implanted in the blood vessels on the surface of the brain's motor cortex with the help of minimally invasive surgery, connected to the brain through the jugular vein, and enables users with limited physical mobility to operate smart home devices with their thoughts.

Image source: Synchron official website

As early as August 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted it the designation of a "breakthrough device." In 2022, the company's $75 million Series C financing was oversubscribed, with investors including Bill Gates and funds owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

Synchron estimated at the time that once the FDA's key experiments were successful, its device was expected to receive commercial approval and be officially launched as early as 2024. The acquisition of Acquandas' equity may indicate that the product's launch time is approaching and the company is preparing for commercial demand.

Acquandas has unique technology that can layer metals in interface implants. Synchron CEO Tom Oxley said that while the two companies have worked together for many years, the new collaboration will help the company continue to innovate around implantable neural technology and scale to meet "very large potential demand."

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