Musk’s Neuralink is “too unsafe” according to agency
Things haven’t been going well for Elon Musk lately. His ambitious Neuralink project, which connects computer hardware to the brain, may not be approved by the US Department of Transportation.
‘Neuralink implants transported unsafely’
The animal rights group Physicians Committee of Responsible Medicine (PCRM) filed a complaint against Neuralink, alleging careless handling of implants removed from the brains of the test animals, chimpanzees. According to the animal rights group, these implants were packaged and transported in an unsafe manner. As a result, there was a real chance of the transmission of germs from the brains of monkeys to other monkeys and to humans.
The Ministry of Transport will investigate the complaint
PCRM filed this complaint with the US Secretary of Transportation, former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg. A spokesman for his department said they were taking the complaint very seriously and were investigating whether Neuralink violated federal regulations that protect its own staff and the general public from dangerous germs.
The relationship between Musk and the US government has long been tense, due to his refusal to let his satellite network Starlink be used for Ukrainian drone attacks, and his peace plan, which has been controversial in the west. Musk is also under fire because, according to American and European governments, Twitter is not acting strictly enough against, in their eyes, extremists and fake news.
Previous research for animal welfare
Neuralink has previously been the target of investigations by the US government for alleged animal welfare abuses. This, in response to complaints from staff. Mortality among laboratory animals was high: 15 of the 23 chimps died and the surviving chimpanzees were badly beaten. Experiments were rushed through at a rapid pace, which, according to the staff members, caused unnecessary animal suffering.
The chimpanzee is our closest relative and has a fairly high level of consciousness, somewhat similar to that of a human. So this is quite serious and ethically unacceptable. Hopefully Neuralink will manage to put things right.
