A brain implant patient reports that OpenAI's technology facilitates his communication with his family.

• Synchron, a neurotech startup, is developing a brain implant to enable paralyzed patients to control their phones, computers, and other devices using their minds.
• The company unveiled on Thursday that it employed OpenAI's models to create a new chat function for its clients.
• Mark, a patient, informed CNBC that the feature aids him in conserving time and energy while texting.

Mark, a 64-year-old individual, has spent the past year mastering the art of controlling devices such as his laptop and phone with the help of a brain implant. Thanks to OpenAI, the process has become significantly more straightforward.

Synchron, a neurotech startup, announced on Thursday that it is incorporating OpenAI's latest AI models into its brain-computer interface (BCI) to create a new generative chat feature for patients.

Synchron's BCI system translates brain signals into commands for external technologies, enabling people with paralysis to communicate and maintain independence by controlling smartphones, computers, and other devices with their thoughts.

The new AI chat feature can process inputs from text, audio, and images to generate prompts for patients to use while texting, according to Synchron. This will enable individuals like Mark to communicate with the outside world more efficiently and naturally.

In August 2023, Mark, who requested anonymity from CNBC, received Synchron's BCI implant. He has ALS, a progressive disease that causes muscle loss.

Although the progression of his disease has been slow, Mark said that receiving his diagnosis in January 2021 felt like a "punch to the gut." Despite struggling to move his shoulders, arms, and hands, he is still able to speak and walk short distances.

Eventually, he will lose those functionalities too, he said.

"Unfortunately, there's very little we can do, as Mark told CNBC in an interview on Monday. However, he knew initially that he wanted to get involved in whatever he could to help future individuals with this disease."

Over the past two months, Mark has been sporadically testing Synchron's new chat feature. He stated that it has been assisting him in conserving time and energy while texting. Since using a BCI demands concentration and training, Mark mentioned that the AI alleviates some of the stress when responding to messages.

"He explained that instead of typing individual words, he uses a few clicks or buttons to complete most of a sentence."

Mark can schedule an appointment with his doctor and keep up with his daughters using the chat feature. He has spent more than two decades in the floral industry and recently used the tool to discuss gardening with a Synchron employee. The two have bonded over this topic.

Thomas Oxley, CEO of Synchron, stated that the company is adopting a "practical approach" in choosing the models that best suit its patients' requirements. Currently, OpenAI holds this role, but Oxley clarified that the companies are not in an exclusive partnership. He also emphasized that Synchron does not share any brain data with OpenAI.

Mark has played a key role in developing the new chat feature, although Oxley stated that Synchron is still working on its release.

"According to Oxley, the primary objective of BCI is to maintain his capacity to make choices. He stated this in an interview with CNBC."

'Something bigger than yourself'

For decades, BCIs have been studied in academic settings, but the commercial industry is still in its infancy. Synchron, founded in 2012, is one of several companies, including Paradromics, Precision Neuroscience, and Elon Musk's Neuralink, that have been working to develop and market BCI systems in recent years.

While Neuralink is the most well-known company in the field due to the high profile of CEO Elon Musk, other tech billionaires such as Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos are also keeping a close eye on the industry. In December 2022, Synchron announced a $75 million financing round that included funding from both Gates and Bezos' investment firms.

Synchron's BCI is a stent-like device that is inserted through a patient's jugular vein and delivered to the blood vessel on the surface of the brain's motor cortex. Unlike competitors such as Neuralink and Paradromics, Synchron's approach is less invasive as it doesn't require open brain surgery.

No BCI company has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market its technology as of July.

Synchron has conducted clinical studies with six patients in the U.S. and four patients in Australia, with Mark being patient No. 10. The company is now preparing for a larger-scale trial involving more patients.

One of his doctors informed him about Synchron as he neared the conclusion of a drug study he joined in August 2021. He had to decide whether to get a BCI, but he eventually decided it would help him maintain some autonomy and communicate with his loved ones.

""For me, the possibility of maintaining some independence, such as changing the TV channel without assistance, was thrilling," he stated."

Mark practices with the BCI for two hours, twice a week, and occasionally on weekends to improve his skills and functions. Setting up and connecting the system takes some time, so he mainly uses it during these sessions.

Mark stated that he does not utilize Synchron's new chat feature every time he employs the BCI. Although he is still learning how to work with the prompts, he expressed admiration for how frequently they mirror what he would typically say in a conversation. He added humorously that they occasionally include a curse word.

Mark's disease has forced him to stop working, but he believes that mastering BCI has given him a goal to strive for.

He stated that it was a chance to truly contribute to something greater than oneself.