Ahhhh that you did. Glad to see people are keeping those things close in mind
Although to be fair, while I touched on it, the truth is I wouldn't expect much from this in the near future regarding animal communication. They may be experimenting with this device on pigs, and possibly/allegedly monkeys (there was rumor), it's just to make sure that the devices work and are safe. They're not focusing on the kind of research that could unlock the thoughts of animals exactly, just the basic surface thought like limb movements that could be applied to humans later on in need of prosthetic limbs. By the time they attempt to move on to more complex brain scanning/reading, they'll have moved on to actual human test subjects.
Still, once the devices have moved past limb/motor function focus and treating mental disorders like seizures or epilepsy, it's not out of the question that while Musk's company is focused on human minds, other scientists and students could use the technology to try to "speak" with the animals - in fact I would most definitely expect it.
It's not what I would call near future - I'm projecting this area somewhere at 30-40 years down the line personally, it's within many of our lifetimes. Now how far this goes, how deep the level of communication, who knows. And trying to use it to prove any ethical reasoning in support of zoophilia and bestiality is still an uphill battle I wouldn't want to be a part of. But, I would be lying if I said I wasn't intrigued by the possibilities that could stem from this direction and line of inquiry.
One day when you say that you and Rover are equal romantic partners, Rover could chime in to back you up in that argument.
