The country’s largest nonprofit organization fighting for the ethical treatment of animals is calling on tech entrepreneur Elon Musk to use himself as a trial dummy for a controversial new product that maps brain activity.
A statement from PETA President Ingrid Newkirk poked fun at Musk’s “pie-in-the-sky” idea before accusing the Tesla tycoon of “exploiting” a set of pigs that he is using as trial animals to test out Neuralink, his “implantable brain-machine interface.”
“PETA challenges Elon Musk to behave like a pioneer and implant the Neuralink chip in his own brain rather than exploiting smart, sensitive pigs who didn’t volunteer for surgery, don’t appreciate that he provides pats and a straw cell, and should be left out of pie-in-the-sky projects,” Newkirk said.
New: Just got a statement from PETA about Elon Musk’s brain implant in pigs pic.twitter.com/63BuDoBtfa
— Christina Farr (@chrissyfarr) September 1, 2020
To PETA’s surprise, Musk may just do that as he joked during Friday’s Neuralink presentation about having already implanted a device in his head.
Musk showed off the Neuralink device during a 30-minute trial demonstration that included a pig named Gertrude, who has been surgically implanted with the brain-computer interface.
Wearing the “Fitbit for your skull,” Gertrude’s brain activity was monitored as a researcher touched the pig’s snout, and audio beeps were recorded that signified the pig’s desire for food. Musk called the moment “incredibly profound.”
During the presentation, Musk claimed that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has greenlighted Neuralink with a “breakthrough” designation that will help fast-track the regulatory process.
Musk spoke about the likelihood of humans implanting the device just below the hairline and his hope that it could help address a number of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s.
Musk, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX, has been chastised since the demonstration by some tech analysts, who claim Neuralink is more likely hype than an important breakthrough in brain mapping and science.
