this post was submitted on 23 Sep 2023
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An investigation by Wired reveals the grisly complications of Neuralink brain implants in monkeys, including brain swelling and paralysis.

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[–] [email protected] 148 points 11 months ago (4 children)

Well I was expecting some horror movie stuff with the headline Terrible Things. Monkeys fighting hallucinations or endless screaches of pain for no apparent reason.

This is just boring old paralysis and brain swelling. Poor monkeys.

[–] [email protected] 51 points 11 months ago (4 children)

True. The headline is sensationalist. It’s not unusual to have these types of effects from medical device testing, animals scratching at scars etc. but that doesn’t excuse the outright lying from Musk. These people signing up for the trial are insane.

[–] [email protected] 64 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (4 children)

Maybe it's just because I have a deep-seated terror of brain surgery, but this all sounded absolutely terrifying to me.

I also hate, hate, HATE that Musk said that the monkeys were all ill. Not only is this 100% bullshit -- this would completely invalidate the data -- but it also indicates that like most things, he has a 13 year old's understanding of life. He thinks that something that is sick has no right to safety, because, like, they're already on borrowed time or something, right? I'm certain that to him, the stakes of these tests are lower because it's not like, healthy full people like him who will eventually use these to get cybernetic super powers. These are humans with disabilities. They're expendable test subjects. They're lucky to get even a chance at improvement. Plus, serving as guinea pigs gives them a chance to be useful to the great Elon Musk's ambitious. Absent that they're just a waste of food to him.

[–] [email protected] 41 points 11 months ago

Well yeah, eugenics is back and us disabled folks are terrified.

If my life wasn’t worth living I’d’ve killed myself. I don’t want some loser ass tech bro who can’t even be bothered to raise his children to try to declare himself the authority on whether or not I live/reproduce.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 11 months ago

Now they're going to start doing it to ~~bigger expendable test subjects~~ people, yay.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago

Fuck I hate elon.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 11 months ago (2 children)

I'm sorry but, It really feels awful reading this comment, downplaying the horrific pain a torture these monkeys went through just to have some failed technology that did nothing for them.. we did not even get good results from the test because a majority of the monkeys died from their complications... that's is awful... most animals when ethical implications are considered for testing, don't end up with majority of the subjects dying from terrible, preventable outcomes....

[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago

I agree here. Hope my comment didn’t downplay the severity of this. It is horrible and the investigation needs to continue. But I stand by saying the headline makes it sound like a Saw movie.

That being said, I hope the whole thing gets shut down at this point. It sounds like vapourware. Like full self driving I’m sure it all just works. Just wait 2 more months and they’ll release it. Yeah. Right.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

It's not sensationalist. Paralysis and brain swelling as a result of neuralink implants are terrible things. The headline is accurate. People have just developed a more theatrical view of the horrors of animal experimentation based on movie depictions, and cases like these feel understated in comparison, despite both being horrible in their own way. The reality isn't usually as loud and in your face about it as movies, but that doesn't make it any less terrible.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (2 children)

He's testing it on paralyzed people, so they're probably depressed and desperate. It's kind of like he's trying to help, but it could be seen as sleazy because he knows these people will try anything to fix their situation.

[–] [email protected] 36 points 11 months ago (2 children)

"He's testing it on paralyzed people"

He's exploiting paralyzed people under the guise of trying to help them.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Hes experimenting on the disabled.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

I mean, at some point a treatment for the disabled has to be tested on the disabled.

There's a lot wrong with Musk, but testing a medical device on the target patients is hardly unethical.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 11 months ago

It is at the current stage. That is the point.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago (1 children)

When some stupid high percentage of animal test subjects die from the test, you would think they'd work on the product more before moving forward. Instead they're like "welp caused paralysis and death in the majority of our animal test patients, this is totally ready for human tests!"

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

I'm not saying their methods aren't flawed, just that testing a medical device on the targeted users is not at all unethical and is a requirement for approval.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 11 months ago

Sure, that's what I was saying in the following sentence.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago

So to phrase this appropriately: you could say the apartheid blood emerald trust fund baby is experimenting with dangerous technology on disabled people because he views them as less than human. I don’t think it can be viewed any other way than sleazy. Besides it’s not like people with disabilities are so desperate they don’t care about their quality of life.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 11 months ago

Idk, brain swelling is painful and suffering from it while paralysed until you die is kind of nightmarish. If anything, hallucinations look more tame than what actually happened.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Oh the monkeys also spoke with a clear and erudite Danish accent over and over "WHAT HAS BEEN DONE CANNOT BE UNDONE AND NOW ALL THAT IS WILL NOT BE", and it's said that those who looked upon the have not slept or spoken since. However that is not a vetinary issue.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

Veterinary*

[–] [email protected] 16 points 11 months ago

IDK that still sounds pretty terrible.

[–] [email protected] 76 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Human beings are going to die at the hands of Neuralink surgeons.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 11 months ago

Musk is mad! Mad, I tell you!

[–] [email protected] 18 points 11 months ago

Elon is a Nazi who wants to experiment on disabled people.