Elon Musk should face an SEC probe over his claims that no monkeys died as a result of Neuralink implants, lawmakers say

Neuralink founder Elon Musk has previously said no monkeys have died as a result of the company's brain implant. 



Tom Carter
Thu, November 23, 2023 

Elon Musk is facing scrutiny over his comments related to the Neuralink monkeys, per a Wired report.


Lawmakers are calling for an investigation after he said no monkeys had died due to the brain chip.


Neuralink is set to begin human trials next year, with thousands signing up to get the implant.

Elon Musk is facing renewed scrutiny over the deaths of Neuralink's test monkeys as the company prepares to begin human trials.

Four members of the House of Representatives have written to SEC chair Gary Gensler asking the regulator to investigate the Tesla CEO for securities fraud over statements he made about Neuralink's brain chip, according to a report from Wired.

The news comes after reports that a dozen monkeys experienced a range of health issues after having the implant installed, before they were eventually euthanized.

Musk has long faced intense controversy over claims that the monkeys Neuralink tested its brain interface technology on had experienced "extreme suffering."

The billionaire wrote in a reply on X in September that "no monkey has died as a result of a Neuralink implant," and that the monkeys used by the company to test its first implants were "close to death already."

The letter, signed by Representatives Earl Blumenauer, Barbara Lee, James McGovern, and Tony Cárdenas, reportedly says that Musk knew this statement was false, and that he misled investors over the safety of Neuralink's implant.

In September, the non-profit Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine also wrote a letter to the SEC asking it to investigate Musk for securities fraud.

The PCRM previously obtained veterinary records that they said showed that Neuralink had been forced to euthanize at least 12 "previously healthy" monkeys after they experienced symptoms including infections and brain swelling.

Neuralink received permission to begin human trials from the FDA in May, and thousands of people have signed up to have Musk's chip implanted in their brains.

The company reportedly plans to operate on 11 people next year, and 22,000 by 2030.

Musk has made several claims about the potential of the Neuralink implant, which the startup aims to use to help people with paralysis and quadriplegia regain full-body movement, saying that it could help save humanity from being wiped out by AI.

Neuralink did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.

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