Neuralink—Elon Musk falsely claimed no monkeys died from Neuralink implants, contradicted by veterinary records
In September 2023, Elon Musk publicly claimed 'No monkey has died as a result of a Neuralink implant' and that the company only used 'terminal monkeys close to death already.' However, records obtained by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and WIRED revealed 12 previously healthy Rhesus macaques were euthanized due to implant complications. Health records showed no evidence the monkeys were terminally ill. The PCRM filed an SEC complaint over these materially misleading statements.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Animal Welfare | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Research Integrity | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.664 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (high ×1.5) × confidence (0.59)
Evidence (1 signal)
PCRM and WIRED revealed 12 healthy monkeys died from Neuralink implants, contradicting Musk's claims
Records obtained by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and WIRED revealed that 12 previously healthy Rhesus macaques were euthanized due to Neuralink implant complications, directly contradicting Musk's September 2023 claim that 'No monkey has died as a result of a Neuralink implant.' The PCRM filed an SEC complaint over the misleading statements.