Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

CTOnews.com, Dec. 6 (Xinhua)-- Musk's brain-computer interface company Neuralink is facing a federal investigation for violating the Animal Welfare Act, Reuters reported. Its insiders allegedly said the company's animal tests were rude, resulting in unnecessary pain and death.

According to reports, Neuralink is developing a brain implant designed to help paralyzed people get back on their feet and walk and help patients cure other neurological diseases.

The USDA inspector general launched the previously unreported federal investigation process at the request of a federal prosecutor, according to two people familiar with the matter. The investigation focused on the company's violations of the Animal Welfare Act (Animal Welfare Act), which sets out how researchers should treat and test animals.

Reuters pointed out that more than 20 employees it interviewed said its CEO Musk demanded too much speed, resulting in increased pressure and led to the failure of the experiment. The employees said that the animal experiments, which could not guarantee the quality, had to be repeated, resulting in a sharp increase in the number of animals and deaths.

Since 2018, the company has killed about 1500 animals, including more than 280 sheep, pigs and monkeys, according to documents and sources accessed by Reuters. Of course, this figure is only a rough estimate, after all, the company will not record the exact number.

Current and former employees of Neuralink say the number of animal deaths is higher than normal because of Mr Musk's request to speed up research. So far, Reuters has identified four experimental errors involving 86 pigs and two monkeys. Its staff said that these errors reduced the research value of the experiment, so it was necessary to repeat the experiment, which led to the death of more animals. Three people familiar with the matter blamed the "error" on the poor preparation of testers in a high-pressure environment.

Over the years, Musk has repeatedly asked employees to imagine strapping a bomb to their heads to speed up research, according to three sources. A few years ago, Mr Musk told employees that if they failed to make more progress, it would trigger a "market failure" for Neuralink, which one former employee interpreted as a threat to shutting down the business.

Three current or former employees said Neuralink's testing problems raised questions about the quality of the results within the company, which could delay the company's plans to start human trials. CTOnews.com has reported that Musk had previously said the company hoped to start human trials within the next six months.

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