Elon Musk’s Neuralink reportedly faces animal welfare probe

Elon Musk’s mind implant firm Neuralink is beneath federal investigation for allegedly violating the Animal Welfare Act amid employees complaints its animal testing is being rushed, Reuters reported.

The probe was opened in current months by the U.S. Division of Agriculture’s Inspector Normal on the request of a federal prosecutor, Reuters stated, citing folks acquainted with the investigation and firm operations.

Musk has revealed formidable plans for his startup, final week saying Neuralink is creating implants that may go into the spinal wire and probably restore motion in somebody affected by paralysis, and an ocular implant meant to enhance or restore human imaginative and prescient. Through the occasion, Musk confirmed a video of a monkey “telepathically typing” on a display screen in entrance of it.

Final yr, Musk stated Neuralink had put in a wi-fi implant right into a monkey that allowed it to play video video games with its thoughts.

Neuralink didn’t reply to a request for remark from Bloomberg Information. Musk and Neuralink representatives didn’t reply to Reuters, and a spokesperson for the USDA Inspector Normal additionally declined to remark to the information outlet.

Neuralink has beforehand denied criticism it mistreats its monkey check topics, after going through complaints from an animal rights group.