The problem: "If you cannot beat the machines it is better to become one." or "Over time I think we will probably see a closer merger of biological intelligence and digital intelligence" - Elon Musk. Somewhere in his packed schedule, Musk has found time to start a neuroscience company that plans to develop cranial computers, most likely to treat intractable brain diseases first, but later to help humanity avoid subjugation at the hands of intelligent machines. “If you assume any rate of advancement in [artificial intelligence], we will be left behind by a lot,” he said at a conference last June. The solution he proposed was a “direct cortical interface”—essentially a layer of artificial intelligence inside the brain—that could enable humans to reach higher levels of function. Mr. Musk has teased that he is developing the technology himself. “Making progress [on neural lace],” he tweeted last August, “maybe something to announce in a few months.” In January he tweeted that an announcement might be coming shortly. More...

As of 2012, about half of all adults, 117 million people have one or more chronic diseases. One of four adults has two or more chronic diseases (CDC) 84% of all health care spending in 2006 was for the 50% of the population who have one or more chronic health conditions. By 2020 the number of people (adults and children) with chronic conditions is projected to be 157 million people. By 2020, medical information to double every 73 By 2018, 40% of primary care encounters in the U.S. will be delivered virtually. Medical data is expected to double every 73 days by 2020. Also 80% of health data is invisible to current systems because it's unstructured. The measure of a patient's overall health goes beyond medical and genomic conditions. In fact, almost 75% of a patient's status is affected by a host of lifestyle factors like access to shelter, education, income... More...