Neuralink shifts to speech BCIs as rivals race ahead

The Verge argues Neuralink is pivoting from motor-control BCIs to speech-based BCIs, acknowledging that turning thought into spoken words may offer greater real-world impact than cursor control. While competitors have moved faster on speech decoding and Neuralink has begun speech-restoration trials in the UAE and the US, commercialization remains uncertain. The piece also frames the broader debate between augmentation and medical-use BCIs, noting market size limits and insurance hurdles, and questions whether speech BCIs will outpace motor BCIs in reaching patients.