Elon Musk’s brain chip company, Neuralink, faces animal abuse claims
GuardianFeb 16, 2022
The Facts
Twitter CEO Elon Musk's brain implant tech firm Neuralink is reportedly under investigation by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) over alleged violations of the Animal Welfare Act.
According to a Reuters report, the USDA inspector general opened the federal probe after current and former employees alleged that Musk's pressure to speed up research has caused "needless suffering and deaths" of about 1.5k animals since 2018.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
This is a win for animal rights, and a step in the right direction to holding Neuralink accountable for the long list of animal abuse allegations it faces, but the company must face the maximum penalty available per violation. It's ironic and twisted that Musk intends to revolutionize human minds by inflicting unimaginable suffering on those of animals.
Pro-establishment narrative
There's no evidence that Neuralink’s animal testing practices are inhumane, or that it has broken the law. The hard truth is that all new medical devices and treatments must be tested in animals before they can be ethically trialed in humans. Nevertheless, Neuralink has shown its commitment time and again to working with animals in the most humane and ethical way possible.
Cynical narrative
Musk’s actions are hardly an isolated incident. Despite mounting public concern and the availability of validated non-animal methods for scientific research, more and more laboratories worldwide are scheduling animals for terminal procedures in their quest to amaze humanity. Moreover, animal testing is not only cruel but so often ineffective. In fact, 90% of drugs that successfully pass the initial animal tests fail in human trials. This must end.
Nerd narrative
There's a 1% chance that commercial animal farming will be prohibited in the US before 2041, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
