Assertion Supported AI assessment confidence: 95% certainty 5/5 debate potential 2/5

Seo: Neuralink has implanted a locked-in late-stage ALS patient

DJ Seo · Weekly Recap: Tesla Robotaxi, Mr. Beast's AI Tool, Yacine, The Social Network 2, Neuralink Update · Jun 28, 2025 · at 2:47:33

Dongjin 'DJ' Seo, co-founder and VP of Neuralink, discusses the diverse clinical profiles and needs of participants in Neuralink's human trials.

0:00 / 0:14exact quote · 14.0s

▶ Watch the full episode on YouTube → 720p mp4 · rendered on demand · StarZero watermark

“One of our participants is in what's called a late-stage ALS, which means that he's effectively locked in, so unable to move, unable to speak even, and is connected to a mechanical ventilator to basically keep him alive.”

quote is from the automated transcript, cleaned for reading: filler sounds and stutters are removed, nothing is rephrased. names can be misheard (the analysis reads context, assessments check outside sources). how →

The claim, plainly

One of Neuralink's human trial participants has late-stage ALS, is locked in without the ability to move or speak, and is on a mechanical ventilator.

a quote alone can be ambiguous, so this restates it with the references and context of the conversation around it resolved. AI-written; the tape below the player is the source.

Assessment

The claim bundles several specific assertions: that Neuralink has an active trial participant, that the participant has late-stage ALS, is non-verbal and effectively locked in (unable to voluntarily move or speak), and relies on a mechanical ventilator. Clinical trial disclosures and official updates from Neuralink in February 2025, alongside detailed reporting from April and May 2025, confirm that participant Brad Smith (enrolled in Neuralink's PRIME study and implanted in November 2024) has late-stage ALS, has lost voluntary limb movement and speech, and is ventilator-dependent.

Neuralink's official 'A Year of Telepathy' update (February 5, 2025) confirmed Brad Smith as a PRIME study participant under the ALS indication.
April and May 2025 media reports (Fox 5 New York, Newsweek, ALS News Today) confirmed Smith is non-verbal, retains motor control only in his eyes/mouth, and requires a mechanical ventilator to sustain breathing.

Checked against

[1] neurapod.com [2] neuralink.com [3] gadgetreview.com [4] insta360.com [5] alsnewstoday.com [6] fox5ny.com [7] newsweek.com [8] irishmirror.ie

Neuralink patient ALS unable to speak move ventilator Neuralink ALS trial participant ventilator locked in Neuralink participant ALS mechanical ventilator PRIME study "Brad Smith" Neuralink "ventilator"

assessed as of 2026-09-02

This assessment is an AI reading of a public statement, made against the cited references with the confidence shown. It can be wrong. The quote, the tape and the references are all on this page; if something is off, use report an error below. full disclaimer →

Mentioned

ALS Neuralink

⚑ Spot an error? Report it

More from DJ Seo

Assertion Supported

Seo: Neuralink operates reliably across seven human trial participants

“Neuralink is working reliably and has already changed the lives of seven human participants that we've been working with.”

DJ Seo Jun 28, 2025 ▶ 2:17:51 Weekly Recap: Tesla Robotaxi, Mr. Beast's AI Tool, Yacine, The Social Network 2, Neuralink Update

Assertion Supported

Seo: Neuralink surgical implantation procedure takes about three hours

“And that process takes about three hours right now.”

DJ Seo Jun 28, 2025 ▶ 2:30:40 Weekly Recap: Tesla Robotaxi, Mr. Beast's AI Tool, Yacine, The Social Network 2, Neuralink Update

Seo: Neuralink has implanted a locked-in late-stage ALS patient

More from DJ Seo

Turn any episode into a week of clips.