Bill Ackman Says Brain Computer Interfaces Helped by AI Will Let the Blind See Again Within Years
Bill Ackman says Neuralink and other brain-computer interfaces will let the blind see again within "not too many years" “And you know, my daughter, who lost pretty much basic function, ability to walk, ability to speak, ability to see, is regaining function. She’s cognitively, as far as I can tell, fine. She’s relearning how to speak, and she’s learning again how to walk. And I’m confident we’re going to get her back." "Biggest challenge right now is that the optic nerve damage from the pressure on the brain has caused her to lose probably 98% of her vision." "But even there I’m optimistic. Spent a lot of time in the last few months meeting with all these brain computer interface companies, obviously Neuralink being the most famous, but there’s some other very promising lower intervention technologies." "And this will be a period, you know, AI is going to enable us. We’re going to be able to get more signal from the brain, and we’re going to be able to interpret that signal much more effectively than we had before. And the blind will see again, and people who have not been able to walk, so to speak, paraplegics, I believe will walk again. It’s a matter of not months but years, but not too many years.”
Context
A prominent investor backing brain computer interfaces and saying AI will make them far more capable adds attention and possible funding interest to the field.
Bill Ackman is a hedge fund manager who runs Pershing Square. Brain computer interfaces read signals from the brain to control devices or restore lost functions, and Neuralink is the best known company in the field. This deck's story on Cleo Abram's Neuralink episode covers how the Neuralink implant works.
Deep dive
Fireside Alpha posted a 76 second interview clip of Bill Ackman on Saturday. The post quotes Ackman speaking about his daughter and about brain computer interfaces.
In the quoted remarks, Ackman says his daughter lost basic functions including the ability to walk, speak and see, and is now regaining function, relearning how to speak and walk. He says the biggest challenge is that optic nerve damage from pressure on the brain has caused her to lose probably 98% of her vision.
Ackman says he is optimistic even there. He says he has spent a lot of time in recent months meeting brain computer interface companies, with Neuralink being the most famous, along with other promising lower intervention technologies.
He says AI will make it possible to get more signal from the brain and interpret it much more effectively than before, and that the blind will see again and paraplegics will walk again. He says it is a matter of years rather than months, but not too many years.
These are Ackman's predictions, not results from any company. The clip comes on the same day Cleo Abram released her Neuralink episode, which is covered separately in this deck.
What to expect next
Watch for trial results from Neuralink and other brain computer interface companies on restoring vision, which would test Ackman's timeline. Also watch whether Ackman or Pershing Square invests in any of the companies he says he met. Regulatory steps toward wider approval of these devices, and progress on AI decoding of brain signals, will show how close his prediction is in practice.