Nathaniel Valles R#11617047 1 ENGR-2392-011 Nathaniel Valles R#11617047 ENGR-2392-011 What is Neuralink and what ethical dilemmas has it caused? Neuralink is a company that was founded by Elon Musk in 2016. Since then, he has pushed his company to create a chip that is expected to be implanted within the human skull to communicate with the brain and relay information to external devices. The goal is to successfully enable the human mind to communicate with computers with a single thought. Although this product is still in development, Mr. Musk has high hope for it stating that they are “attempting to produce a brain implant to allow paralyzed people to regain limb function and treat neurological ailments” (Ray, 2022). Although these are not the only intentions with the device, it is also hoped to enable all humans to take a step further technologically by combining the human mind with artificial intelligence. Elon Musk has recently been under scrutiny by the public for his actions in his other companies like Twitter and SpaceX, and now Neuralink. This pressure pushed Mr. Musk to strive for faster development of the chip to display his company’s progress. Because of the expedited development of Neuralink pushed by Mr. Musk the company has seen great losses in animal experiments, specifically over 1500 reported since 2018, according to Reuters (Levy, 2022). Many employees since then reported complaints about the unpreparedness of the teams which then led to many of these unnecessary deaths. This has also led to some employees resigning stating they “left the company over concerns about animal research” (Levy, 2022). These complaints have further triggered a federal prosecutor to request that the Department of Agriculture (USDA) look further into the animal welfare violations that were reported to determine whether any violations were committed. Although in 2023 the USDA reported that it did not find any violations committed by Neuralink, but further inspections would be conducted to ensure the company is complying with all animal welfare acts. System Discussion The real concern in Neuralink is whether the high number of experiments are ethical. The experiments will lead to a life changing technology for humans and could further technological advancement in numerous ways, but the process of achieving this is being done in a way that affects many people. Neuralink is disregarding compassion for these animals and causing 2 Nathaniel Valles R#11617047 ENGR-2392-011 employees to have second thoughts about whether their actions are justified or not. Mr. Musk is announcing and pushing unrealistic deadlines causing “needless suffering and deaths” by making the scientists work faster than they should be and causing mistakes that could have been avoided if the time crunch were not so intense (Johnson, 2022). Elon Musk’s unrealistic promises for the next step of Neuralink are pushing scientists to levels of stress and exhaustion that are causing the deaths of more animals than necessary. These deaths have led to many complaints from employees and eventually caused an investigation by the Department of Agriculture. Although the time frame of this investigation is very long and no legal action has taken place thus far, it has affected the speed of progression in Neurolink. This all could have been avoided if Mr. Musk had been more realistic about the feasibility of the time frame for Neuralink, helping the scientists to better understand where their experiments are going wrong and preventing more unnecessary deaths. Virtue Application Elon Musk feels he has no choice but to push his team at Neuralink to produce results fast, but this push has really led the team of scientists to cut ethical corners. In the pursuit of meeting Mr. Musk’s deadlines many animals have been treated unfairly and uncompassionately. These animals deserve at least a little compassion for the sacrifice they are making for the advancement of humanity. Rather than ignoring their suffering for progress they Mr. Musk can provide more realistic deadlines so that these animals are not unnecessarily killed during these experiments. This should not be confused with giving up on the project entirely, but instead taking the time necessary to examine each experiment thoroughly to ensure all mistakes are corrected before proceeding. To be compassionate is to care about the feelings and suffering of others, even animals. Humans are not the only ones who deserve to be treated with respect and sympathy. These animals did not choose to be experimented on, but they are in the end giving their life so that we can develop a deeper understanding of the human mind. This is why the public has stood up and called for action against Elon Musk, because of the carelessness he has taken with his company. Mr. Musk has decided that the progress and development of his Neuralink device is more important than the lives of these animals. Although the Department of Agriculture does not have a rule that specifies the number of animals that can be experimented on, it does have a rule that 3 Nathaniel Valles R#11617047 ENGR-2392-011 prohibits causing unnecessary and cruel deaths of animals. Neurolink has not been proven guilty of this legally, but the public sees this as unreasonable death. Mr. Musk must see this and advise his company to do what is necessary to ensure that these tests are conducted thoroughly and properly, being sure not to make the same mistake multiple times. This will not only ease the concerns of the public and prevent any legal action to be taken on the company, but it will also ensure that every animal is given the dignity and sympathy that they deserve. In the end it will prove to be a much faster process ass well because it will prevent any investigations or public protests that would slow the process further. This device neurolink is attempting to create will change many lives and can lead to life changing discoveries in the future, but it should be created in a way that does not make any animal suffer any more than necessary. 4 Nathaniel Valles R#11617047 ENGR-2392-011 Works Cited Telford, T. (2019, July 17). Elon Musk's start-up, Neuralink aims to link brains with computers to treat neurological conditions. Washington Post. https://link-gale-com.libe2.lib.ttu.edu/apps/doc/A593594195/AONE?u=txshracd2579&sid=bookmarkAONE&xid=591329a5 Johnson, J. (2022, December 7). Animal deaths investigated at Musk's brain implant firm. Daily Telegraph [London, England], 14. https://link-gale-com.libe2.lib.ttu.edu/apps/doc/A729136996/GBIB?u=txshracd2579&sid=bookmarkGBIB&xid=c9cbbbcb Ray, S. (2022, December 7). Musk’s Neuralink under federal investigation over alleged animal welfare abuses, report says. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2022/12/06/musks-neuralink-link-under-federalinvestigation-over-alleged-animal-welfare-abuses-report-says/ Levy, R. (2022, December). Exclusive: Musk’s Neuralink faces federal probe, employee backlash over animal tests | Reuters. Exclusive: Musk’s Neuralink faces federal probe, employee backlash over animal tests. https://www.reuters.com/technology/musks-neuralink-faces-federal-probeemployee-backlash-over-animal-tests-2022-12-05/ Taylor, M. (2023, July). Regulator says found no animal welfare breaches at Musk firm beyond 2019 incident | reuters. Regulator says found no animal welfare breaches at Musk firm beyond 2019 incident. https://www.reuters.com/technology/regulator-says-found-no-animal-welfarebreaches-musk-firm-beyond-2019-incident-2023-07-19/ 5
