Digital Event Horizon
Lab-grown human brain tissue directs butterfly simulation, say researchers - could this be the future of AI power?
The development of organoid-driven computing has the potential to revolutionize the field of artificial intelligence and push the boundaries of what is thought possible. With its lower energy consumption and higher cognitive capabilities, this technology could enable machines to learn from novel scenarios and demonstrate true zero-shot learning abilities.
Lab-grown human brain tissue directs butterfly simulation, marking a significant step towards realizing science fiction concepts like The Matrix.The technology has the potential to revolutionize artificial intelligence (AI) and lead to "ectopic cognitive preservation" by capturing and maintaining human cognitive processes beyond biology.The team used pea-sized mini-brains derived from induced pluripotent stem cells, which watch for human input signals to respond and make decisions.The technology has several potential advantages, including lower energy consumption, higher cognitive behavior, and superior pattern recognition.The team is working to quantify the energy consumption of brain organoids compared to traditional computing infrastructure.The application of this technology could lead to significant advancements in AI research, healthcare, education, and potentially even "ectopic cognitive preservation."
Lab-grown human brain tissue directs butterfly simulation, researchers say that organoid-driven computing could be the future of AI power. This groundbreaking technology has been developed by a team of scientists affiliated with the neuroscience platform FinalSpark, who have successfully created a 3D simulation depicting a butterfly that is directed by human brain cells.
According to Daniel Burger, software developer at FinalSpark, this represents a significant step towards the realization of concepts previously confined to science fiction, such as The Matrix. This technology has the potential to revolutionize the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and could lead to the development of "ectopic cognitive preservation," which involves capturing and maintaining the structural and functional integrity of human cognitive processes beyond the limits set by biology.
The team used a multi-electrode array (MEA) to support two-way electrical communication with the brain organoids, which are pea-sized mini-brains derived from induced pluripotent stem cells. These cells are maintained in incubators at 37°C – a temperature that is closer to the human body temperature than the computer room temperature of The Matrix.
The brain organoids watch for human input signals, which in this case take the form of clicks on the virtual world scene. When a click event occurs within the butterfly's field of view, the brain neurons respond by telling the butterfly model to fly towards the click event location or not. This decision-making process is handled by separate vector calculations, as seen in the Python code snippet below:
```python
function decideButterflyAction(isTargetVisible: boolean, elicitedSpikeCount: number): boolean {
const SPIKE_THRESHOLD = 5; // exemplary
const TIME_WINDOW = 200; // milliseconds, also exemplary
if (isTargetVisible && elicitedSpikeCount > SPIKE_THRESHOLD) {
return true; // Move towards target
}
return false; // Move randomly
}
```
According to Burger, this technology has several potential advantages that "include significantly lower energy consumption (the human brain operates on only about 20 watts per hour), truly higher cognitive and adaptive behavior such as creativity, true zero-shot learning capabilities, superior pattern recognition and generalization, better handling of ambiguity and noise, and the potential for self-repair and neuroplasticity."
The team is currently working to quantify the energy consumption of brain organoids compared to traditional computing infrastructure. Burger acknowledged that while there are some additional factors involved, such as supporting hardware like incubators and electrical stimulation systems, they do not yet have an exact 1:1 comparison of CPU vs. organoid including all supporting hardware.
Despite this, the potential applications for this technology are vast and exciting. Burger envisions a future where zero-shot learning capabilities enable machines to learn from entirely novel scenarios, tasks demanding intuition and creativity, and pattern generalization across a wide range of tasks. This could lead to significant advancements in fields such as AI research, healthcare, and education.
The utility of living neurons, which consume 1 million times less energy than current digital processors, becomes obvious at this point. The idea that billionaires could share their thoughts forever is also an intriguing concept, highlighting the potential for "ectopic cognitive preservation."
However, Burger also acknowledges that there are some ethical implications to consider. These organoids lack the capacity for high-level consciousness and should be thought of more like plants than people. Nevertheless, this technology has the potential to revolutionize the field of AI research and push the boundaries of what is thought possible.
In conclusion, the rise of organoid-driven computing marks a significant turning point in the history of artificial intelligence. This groundbreaking technology has the potential to transform our understanding of human cognition and behavior, and could lead to major breakthroughs in fields such as AI research, healthcare, and education.
Related Information:
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/10/22/human_brain_tissue_butterfly_simulation/
Published: Tue Oct 22 02:03:01 2024 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
