Elon Musk’s brain chip company Neuralink aims to start implanting its brain implants into human patients within six months. A Pew poll in early 2022 found that only 13 percent of Americans believe that Musk’s brain chips will be good for society.
Bloomberg reports that Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain-computer interface firm, said at a Wednesday evening event at its headquarters that it plans to begin putting its coin-sized computing brain implant into human patients in six months. This news comes despite the fact that an overwhelming majority of America think slapping a computer chip inside the human brain is a terrible idea for society.
Musk said that Neuralink’s device, which has been refined over the past years, would be implanted into people using a robot that carves out a piece of their skull and attaches the device to their brain. Discussions with the FDA mean that the company can plan to begin it’s first human trials in the next six months, he said.
In addition to working on a brain-computer interface, Musk revealed that his company is working on spinal implants that might one day restore mobility to people with paralysis. He also revealed that his firm is working on an ocular implant to restore human vision or improve it. Despite the continued hype from Musk, recent reports show that Neuralink is a company in chaos.
Musk said during the event: “As miraculous as that may sound, we are confident that it is possible to restore full-body functionality to someone who has a severed spinal cord.”
Musk claims that an individual who suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or a stroke may soon be able to communicate via their brain using a brain-computer interface (BCI). The Neuralink device would be able to detect neuronal activity and turn it into data that would be interpreted by a computer. Musk believes that the device could one day become mainstream and allow humans and computers to communicate with each other. Musk has long been a proponent of the idea that humans must be enhanced to match the development of artificial intelligence.
Musk said: “You are so used to being a de-facto cyborg. But if you’re interacting with your phone, you’re limited.”
In February, Neuralink was accused by an animal-rights group of subjecting test monkeys to illegal mistreatment and causing “extreme suffering.” Business Insider gained access to a draft regulatory complaint expected to be filed with the U.S. Department of Agriculture this week.
The complaint by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) alleges that the group obtained access to records showing that monkeys used in Neuralink trials experienced “extreme suffering as a result of inadequate animal care and the highly invasive experimental head implants during the experiments.”
The PCRM alleges that UC Davis and Neuralink committed as many as nine violations of the Animal Welfare Act, including breaches of agreements that researchers minimize the pain and distress of animals, have a veterinarian advise on the use of anesthesia, and ensuring that daily observations of animals take place.
The complaint alleges that in one example, a test monkey was found missing many fingers and toes “possibly from self-mutilation or some other unspecified trauma.” The monkey was killed during a “terminal procedure” at a later date.
Another monkey had holes drilled into its skull and electrodes implanted into its brain. The monkey allegedly developed a painful skin infection and was euthanized.
Another macaque monkey had electrodes implanted into its brain, immediately began vomiting, retching, and gasping. Days later, researchers noted that the animal “appeared to collapse from exhaustion/fatigue” and was then killed. A later autopsy showed that the monkey suffered from a brain hemorrhage.
According to Jeremy Beckham, a research advocacy coordinator with the PCRM, of the 23 monkeys only seven survived and were transferred to a Neuralink facility in 2020 after Neuralink ended its relationship with UC Davis.
Read more at Bloomberg here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan