I keep thinking about the cyborg chicken mechs in Metal Gear Solid 4. If stuff like Neuralink gets advanced enough, we might find that cutting up animals and sticking electrodes in their brains is the best way to make robots.

Yeah, people might object, but it can be argued that we are already subjecting scores of animals to horrors beyond comprehension just to get a bucket of chicken wings. And even if we manage to get silicon to do what brains do, it will likely cost 1000x as much and consume 1000x the power like you said.

It's hell of an economic incentive.