Elon Musk's startup Neuralink has officially launched its second human trial, a significant step confirmed during an extensive podcast episode with Lex Fridman.

The first patient, Noland Arbaugh, who was paralyzed, has successfully used the Neuralink device to control computer interfaces, allowing him to engage in activities such as gaming and texting using only his thoughts.

Demonstrating the device's capabilities, Arbaugh has played video games, browsed the internet, and interacted with social media, showcasing the potential of brain-computer interfaces.

Musk announced that the device has also been implanted in a second patient, who has a spinal cord injury similar to Arbaugh's, enabling them to control digital devices with their thoughts.

The second patient has approximately 400 of the implant's 1,024 electrodes functioning well, which Musk reported during the podcast.

Musk expressed optimism about the second implant's performance, stating it appears to be working extremely well.

Arbaugh has significantly improved his cursor control speed with the device, achieving this with only about 10-15% of the electrodes functioning.

Neuralink plans to implant devices in eight more patients this year as part of its ongoing clinical trials, although details about the timing of the second surgery were not disclosed.

Musk theorized about the future integration of human cognition with AI systems through Neuralink, suggesting it could expand cognitive capabilities, despite the lack of scientific studies currently supporting this claim.

He expressed ambitions for Neuralink to provide users with 'superpowers,' including enhanced vision capabilities and potential cures for various diseases and neurological disorders.

The podcast episode featuring Musk has garnered over 1.7 million views on YouTube, highlighting the public's interest in Neuralink's advancements.