--- title: "PETA Is Really Upset With Elon Musk For Testing Neuralink on Pigs" description: "PETA is outraged that Elon Musk's project Neuralink uses animal testing. Find out why experimental brain hardware is being tested on pigs." date: "2020-09-01" modified: "2020-09-08" authors: - name: "Jon Christian" job_title: "Executive Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc" url: "https://futurism.com/peta-upset-elon-musk-testing-neuralink-pigs" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "neuralink" - "peta" --- # PETA Is Really Upset With Elon Musk For Testing Neuralink on Pigs ![People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is outraged that Neuralink has been testing its experimental brain hardware on pigs.]() *\Image: Neuralink\* On Friday night, when [Elon Musk debuted]() what his secretive brain interface startup Neuralink has been working on, reactions ranged from [the underwhelmed]() to the [baffled](). The demo prompted a furious reaction, though, from the animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) — because it revealed that Neuralink has been testing its experimental brain hardware on pigs. "PETA challenges Elon Musk to behave like a pioneer and implant the Neuralink chip in his own brain," said PETA president Ingrid Newkirk in a statement. She also accused Musk of "exploiting smart, sensitive pigs who didn't volunteer for surgery" and "should be left out of pie-in-the-sky projects." Unlike Tesla and SpaceX, Neuralink does wade directly into the culture war over animal testing. You can test rockets and electric cars without animal research subjects, in other words, but [only the fringiest people would volunteer]() for brain surgery to try out an untested medical device. Musk didn't mince words during the event, speaking highly of the pigs as research subjects precisely because they have higher brain functions that are more comparable to humans than small mammals like mice. "Pigs are actually quite similar to people," he said during demo. "If we're going to figure out things for people, then pigs are a good choice." "If the device is lasting in the pig, as it lasted in there for two months and going strong, then that's a good sign the device is robust for people," he added. At the same time, he did show some affection for the animals, introducing an animal handler and showing off a healthy-looking pig that he said had been implanted with a Neuralink device that was subsequently removed. But Newkirk wasn't impressed. "Musk has the brains and ability to use technology, why not wise up to who animals are and show them some respect and try this on himself," she said. "He knew there was going to be a backlash against his use of pigs, and had the nerve to come out with a PR reel in which his lab staff talk about how much they care for the animals he uses." **More on Neuralink:** [*Elon Musk Compares Neuralink to “a ‘Black Mirror’ Episode”*]() ## Author I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()