A few weeks after the brain chip was first implanted in a human body, Elon Musk's Neuralink company is reportedly in trouble.
Inspectors from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration visited the company's California animal research facility in June 2023 and found a number of issues with record-keeping and quality control related to animal experiments, according to an agency report.
Some of the issues highlighted by the inspectors related to the instruments used in the experiments, which were not calibrated on record. The lab was also accused of not properly documenting its quality control procedures. This type of question is especially important because startups are dealing with live animals for experimentation.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration also reportedly visited the Neuralink plant in Texas and found no problems.
Neuralink's mission is to develop a brain-computer interface using a chip implanted in the skull. In addition to the company's goal of allowing humans to control electronic devices using only their brains, the company has an even more ambitious goal of connecting our consciousness directly to the internet and the Ethernet network of artificial intelligence.
Like many of Musk's businesses, their work has sparked a bunch of controversy. In December 2022, Neuralink staff complained that their experiments had caused unnecessary suffering and death, after which Neuralink was under federal investigation for potential animal welfare violations.
Between 2018 and 2022, the company's experiments allegedly killed about 1,500 animals, including 280 sheep, pigs and monkeys.
Musk claimed in September 2023 that "no monkeys died from the Neuralink implant," but an investigation found that many macaque subjects were euthanized after experiencing a range of serious complications, including "hemorrhagic diarrhea, partial paralysis, and cerebral edema."
The monkeys also experienced some disturbing behavioral changes after receiving the implants. A monkey has been reported to rest its head on the floor, suggesting that they are in pain or sick. According to internal documents, the monkeys also shivered at the sight of lab workers, who described it as a "stress response."
Now that Neuralink is in human trials, the company has been criticized by the medical community for failing to meet the strong standards required for good ethical science.
Kaplan and Moreno, two experts in biomedical ethics in the United States, said: "Basic ethical standards are not met when people who pay for human experiments and have a huge financial stake in the results of the experiments are the only information**." ”
Just last month, Musk announced that people who receive brain implants can move their computer mouse cursor using only their own thoughts. They are also currently accepting applications for human clinical trials on their **.