Neuralink reports 75 words-per-minute text output from brain-computer interface user
A participant in Neuralink's VOICE study has achieved 75 words per minute in brain-to-text conversion, a milestone for ALS patients attempting to regain communication.
Neuralink has released preliminary data from its VOICE feasibility study, indicating that a participant with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) reached a text output speed of 75 words per minute (WPM) during their first week of use. The system reportedly maintained a word error rate of 5.8% using a 125,000-word vocabulary.
The findings were presented by Dr. Nader Pouratian at the 2026 NEALS annual meeting. The company intends to enroll six participants suffering from conditions including ALS, spinal cord injuries, or strokes. The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the safety of the device and the surgical implantation process over a 12-month period, with communication performance serving as a secondary outcome measure.
While the results suggest progress toward enabling near-conversational speeds, the data remains limited. Neuralink has not yet published a peer-reviewed paper detailing the study's scope. Furthermore, the company has not disclosed comprehensive information regarding the specific testing environment, long-term signal stability, or the consistency of the system across different users.