Elon Musk is an interesting guy. He is described as a technology entrepreneur

, investor and engineer. He has Canadian, South African and US citizenship. He is the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla Inc as well as being the co-founder of PayPal.

And he’s worried about Artificial Intelligence (AI).

That is why he is developing a brain implant for humans that will link directly with their technology.

This implanted brain-computer interface (BCI) will be known as Neuralink and could be with us within a year. The aim is to provide a low risk and affordable procedure, as non-invasive as laser eye surgery, that can be performed quickly and easily by a doctor without needing a stay in hospital.

The implant is seen as a way of combating what Mr Musk sees as the real threat of AI becoming so far advanced that it is a real threat to the existence of the human race.

He believes we are limited by such things as typing speed which will lead to us falling behind the advances of AI. We would have the chance to keep up, however, thanks to the near-instantaneous wireless communication between the brain and computer provided by an implant.

This idea of an upgrade to put the brain on an equal footing with AI will be familiar to viewers of Black Mirror or the recent BBC series Years and Years. With recent reported AI threats to influence how we vote or buy consumer goods, this could be a vital step to keep us ahead of the rise of the robots.