Why Meta AI chief Alexandr Wang thinks the next generation could grow up with brain-computer interfaces

Meta AI chief Alexandr Wang has revealed an unusual reason for why he wants to wait before having children: brain-computer interfaces such as Elon Musk’s Neuralink.

Wang made the comments during an appearance on The Shawn Ryan Show last year, while discussing artificial intelligence, human development and the future of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). He said he wants to wait until technologies such as Neuralink “start working” before having kids. His argument is based on the idea that a child’s brain may be much more adaptable to a BCI than an adult brain.

Why Wang wants to wait for Neuralink

Wang pointed to the first seven years of life as a particularly important period for brain development.

“In your first like seven years of life, your brain is more neuroplastic than at any other point in your life,” he said. He used vision as an example. Wang discussed children born with cataracts and argued that if normal visual input is blocked during early development, removing the cataracts years later may not allow the brain to develop normal visual processing. He then applied that idea to brain-computer interfaces. Wang believes children who grow up with such technology could learn to use it in ways that adults receiving an implant later in life may not.

Could a brain chip become part of the brain?

Wang suggested that early exposure could make a BCI feel more naturally integrated with a person's abilities.

“When we get Neuralink and we get these other technologies, kids who are born with them are going to learn how to use them in like, crazy, crazy ways,” he said. He argued that the technology could become “a part of their brain” in a way that might never happen for an adult who receives an implant later. That is Wang’s prediction, not an established medical finding. Current BCIs remain an emerging technology, and there is no established evidence that children should receive such implants for cognitive enhancement.

Wang links the idea to the future of AI

Wang also connected his thinking to the rapid development of artificial intelligence.

He said he believes AI will become increasingly capable and could eventually take different physical forms, including robots and other systems. His broader argument is that AI may develop much faster than biological evolution. In that future, he believes humans could eventually need ways to connect more directly with computing systems. For Wang, that possibility is enough to make Neuralink more than a futuristic gadget. He sees it as a technology that could potentially shape how future generations interact with AI. For now, however, that future remains speculative. Neuralink and other BCI companies are still developing and testing the technology, meaning the idea of children growing up with brain implants remains firmly in the realm of future possibilities.