Elon Musk has unveiled new technology to connect human brains with computers in a bid to harness the power of artificial intelligence.
The SpaceX founder and tech entrepreneur revealed his previously secretive start-up Neuralink had created "threads", which would be inserted into the brain to connect it with machines.
Mr Musk, speaking at the California Academy of Sciences, said he hopes ultimately the project will lead to brains having "symbiosis with artificial intelligence".
"Ultimately, we can do a full brain machine interface.
"Meaning, ultimately, this is going to sound pretty weird, achieve a sort of symbiosis with artificial intelligence," he told the event.
He said he thinks this will be "really important on a civilization-level scale", as it will develop human advancement along with artificial intelligence.
The threads, to be inserted into the brain, are said to be about the size of a neuron and will be placed into humans by robots.
Tests have already been carried out on rats and primates, Neuralink revealed.
It is pushing for human testing as early as next year.
If the devices work successfully, users would be able to write texts just by thinking them, or move a mouse around with mind control.
This could be used initially to help people who have suffered from paralysis, the company's president Max Hodak said.
