Neuralink CEO Elon Musk announced that the company's BCI device can restore speech to individuals who have lost it, converting brain activity into words.
Neuralink is restoring speech to those who have lost the ability to speak https://t.co/DySKSyV6yw
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 24, 2026
The entrepreneur commented on a company post that shared a video demonstrating an update. In it, ALS patient Kenneth Shock was able to communicate again using the implant.
Neuralink's software decodes phonemes (the smallest units of sound in language), combines them into words, and reproduces them in the patient's original voice.
“The disease gradually robbed Kenneth of his ability to speak. As part of Neuralink's VOICE clinical trial, we are exploring how the brain-computer interface designed to convert thoughts into speech can help him regain independence in daily life,” Neuralink stated.
The system reads neural activity related to speech, translates it into text, and then vocalizes it through a computer. While the process takes some time, the company aims to make communication more natural.
Musk emphasized that the technology is already functioning in real-world conditions and represents a step toward enabling people to speak literally by thought alone.
Neuralink's technology is gradually evolving, but the company faces challenges, including regulatory approval, long-term safety, and privacy of neural data. Widespread adoption of BCI solutions is still a long way off.
Neuralink Patient Plays Warcraft
Another Neuralink patient, British paratrooper veteran Jon L. Noble, shared his achievements since receiving the N1 chip implant 100 days ago.
It’s hard to believe it’s already been 100 days since I received my Neuralink N1 implant. Looking back, the whole journey feels like science fiction that somehow became my everyday reality.
— Jon L. Noble🇬🇧 (@CheckCanopy) March 22, 2026
The surgery on Day 0 was surprisingly easy. A quick general anaesthetic, a small… pic.twitter.com/jmqA428RuV
The surgery went smoothly. There was a brief general anesthesia, a small incision, and then a robotic system precisely placed 1,024 ultra-thin threads in the motor cortex. Noble woke up feeling refreshed and in good spirits.
By the second week, the implant was connected to a new MacBook. Neuralink engineers calibrated it, and within minutes, the patient was moving the cursor using only his thoughts.
“At first, it felt like trying to remember a dream, but by the third week, it became natural. Scrolling, clicking, typing—all controlled by thought,” Noble noted.
By day 80, he launched World of Warcraft and was able to play using just his mind.
“The first raid was a bit clumsy, but once my brain and the BCI synced up, it felt like real magic. Now I’m raiding and exploring Azeroth hands-free, at full speed, without a mouse or keyboard—just with my intentions. It’s truly impressive. The feeling of freedom is addictive,” the patient shared.
Noble received thousands of supportive messages and inquiries about the technology and its future.
As a reminder, in April 2025, a woman paralyzed after a stroke regained her speech after 18 years of silence thanks to an experimental BCI and artificial intelligence.