Neuralink Animal testing: US lawmakers push for more oversight of Elon Musk’s Brain Chip Company
US House of Representatives Representatives Earl Francis Blumenauer and Adam Schiff want the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to take a closer look at Elon Musk’s Neuralink following a Reuters report that highlighted flaws in the company’s animal testing program. brain chip company, its office said on Thursday.
Reuters reported on Monday that of USDA Inspector General is investigating neural link for possible violations of animal welfare amid complaints from internal employees that their animal testing is being rushed, causing unnecessary suffering and death .
Blumenauer and Schiff, two Democrats who are members of the Congressional Animal Welfare Foundation, wrote in a draft letter they will send to the USDA that “the treatment of animals described in these complaints seems to indicate a disturbing lack of oversight.”
“We are concerned that this may be yet another example of well-known animal abuse cases involving USDA-inspected facilities, mentioned in earlier letters to the agency. you, where appropriate action has not been taken from the USDA,” the lawmakers said in a letter to USDA secretary Thomas Vilsack and Kevin Shea, who oversaw the agency’s inspection service.
Neuralink executives did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A USDA spokesman said the agency could not comment on Neuralink and referred Reuters to the inspector general’s office, which also declined to comment.
Reuters identified several problems with Neuralink’s animal tests, including four experiments involving 86 pigs and two monkeys that were ruined by human error, after reviewing dozens of copies. recordings, emails, messages, presentations, internal company reports and interviews with more than 20 current and former employees.
Mistakes undermined experiments and required repeated trials, resulting in more animals being killed. In total, the company killed about 1,500 animals, including more than 280 sheep, pigs and monkeys, following experiments since 2018, Reuters said.
Blumenauer and Schiff’s office declined to comment on what they want the USDA to do outside of the inspector general’s investigation. The lawmakers wrote in the letter that the investigation was “important to shed light on unnecessary animal suffering and death” and possible animal welfare law violations.
The lawmakers also cited records published by the Physicians Committee on Responsible Medicine, an animal advocacy group that published records related to Neuralink’s partnership at the University of California. Davis, as grounds for concern. Neuralink has admitted that six monkeys died from health problems during experiments they conducted with the university during their collaboration between 2017 and 2020.
Schiff also criticized musk $44 billion (approximately Rs 3,37,465) acquires Twitter, accusing him of “undermining safeguards against digital misinformation and hate.”
© Thomson Reuters 2022
