AI scientist and Google researcher Ray Kurzweil joins BCI startup Subsense, which develops non-surgical BCI tech involving inhaled nanoparticles, as an advisor (Alexei Oreskovic/Fortune)

Ray Kurzweil, a renowned AI scientist and Google researcher, has joined Subsense, a Silicon Valley startup developing brain-computer interface technology, as an advisor. According to Fortune, Subsense is working on a non-surgical approach that involves introducing charged nanoparticles into the brain through inhalation.

Kurzweil, known for his "singularity" theory, believes that technology will eventually allow humans to transcend the limitations of their biological brains. He sees external devices like smartphones as a barrier to accessing the power of AI and hopes that brain-computer interfaces will enable humans to expand their capabilities.

Subsense's approach differs from that of Neuralink, which has implanted wireless chips in the brains of around a dozen people. While Neuralink's method requires surgery, Subsense's method is non-surgical, but still involves introducing particles into the brain. Kurzweil described the goal of merging smartphones with the brain, saying that humans should be able to access greater frontiers and expand their abilities.

Brief written by urgent.news from Techmeme, Fortune — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.