He was able to grasp, move and drop objects just by imagining himself performing the actions.

The device, known as a brain-computer interface (BCI), worked for a record seven months without needing to be adjusted. Until now, such devices have only worked for a day or two.

The BCI relies on an AI model that can adjust to the small changes that take place in the brain as a person repeats a movement—or in this case, an imagined movement—and learns to do it in a more refined way.

“This blending of learning between humans and AI is the next phase for these brain-computer interfaces,” said neurologist Karunesh Ganguly, MD, Ph.D., a professor of neurology and a member of the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences. “It’s what we need to achieve sophisticated, lifelike function.”