--- title: "Saudi Arabia Hires Startup to Develop Brain-Computer Control Implants" description: "A brain-computer interface startup called Paradromics is partnering with Saudi Arabia's megalomaniac Neom city-building project." date: "2025-02-14" modified: "2025-02-14" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/saudi-arabia-paradromics-bci" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "brain computer interfaces" - "neom" - "neuralink" - "Saudi Arabia" - "the line" --- # Saudi Arabia Hires Startup to Develop Brain-Computer Control Implants ![A brain-computer interface startup called Paradromics is partnering with Saudi Arabia's megalomaniac Neom city-building project.]() *\Image: Paradromics\* A brain-computer interface (BCI) startup called Paradromics, a competitor to Elon Musk's Neuralink that's aiming to control computers using brain implants, is partnering with Saudi Arabia's [megalomaniac Neom city-building project](). As *Bloomberg* reports, the agreement will involve the construction of a new clinical research center within the new city, which is currently being built on the Red Sea coast. Paradromics is hoping to kick off human clinical trials in the US as soon as this year, and the Middle Eastern kingdom could soon follow. But given Saudi Arabia's [abysmal track record]() when it comes to human rights abuses, the collaboration raises plenty of red flags. The kingdom's Neom project, in particular, has been the subject of some extremely damning reports, from [bulldozed villages to the alleged use of lethal force]() to [human slavery](). According to one documentary last year, [more than 21,000 immigrant workers](), most from South Asian countries like Bangladesh, India, and Nepal, have died while working on the project's [100-mile skyscraper]() called the Line, though Saudi officials have [denied]() the claims. However, as the [*Wall Street Journal* reported in November](), Neom CEO Nadhmi al-Nasr [abruptly departed]() the role following the documentary, suggesting drama behind the scenes. Put simply, Saudi Arabia is a monarchy with among the worst track records for human rights and the treatment of vulnerable populations on the planet, plus a nearly bottomless supply of money due to its immense oil resources. It sounds far-fetched, but it's hard not to imagine that Saudi royals — who, lest you forget, [murdered and dismembered a journalist]() several years ago — are at least passively wondering whether BCI tech could be used to keep workers in check or increase their productivity. It's not as far-fetched as it sounds; Western BCI companies have [already started working with employers]() on schemes to monitor employee productivity using the tech. In other words, an investment in the tech by a country known for trampling human rights raises a host of [thorny ethical issues](). Paradromics' official goals, we should point out, don't sound nefarious at all; the company says it's interested in starting with giving voice back to patients who've lost the ability to speak by translating brain signals using a tiny device implanted below the skull, not unlike Neuralink's chip. The company has been testing the tech on sheep, and is hoping to start human trials as soon as the fourth quarter of this year. "Once we are ready to do the clinical trial in the US, we are operationally ready to do it elsewhere," CEO Matt Angle told *Bloomberg*. But the competition is growing. Neuralink kicked off its first human clinical trials just over a year ago. Since then, it has implanted devices in the brains of [numerous patients](), who are now using the gadgets to [browse the web]() and [play video games](). The latest partnership could be seen as part of the Saudi crown family's attempts to diversify the kingdom's economy away from oil. According [to OPEC](), the Kingdom possesses around 17 percent of the world's petroleum reserves, with oil exports accounting for roughly 40 percent of its GDP. How exactly brain implants will factor into those efforts remains to be seen. But for a country with a track record like Saudi Arabia's, dark possibilities are endless. **More on BCIs:** *[Brain Implant Hooked Up to Control VR Headset]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()