- Recently, scientists revealed their strategy for eventually producing “organoid intelligence,” or OI.
- Scientists want to develop technologies that will let us transform organoids, or collections of brain cells, into strong, effective computers.
- Despite the fact that the technology is still in its early stages, it has ramifications for everything from computer memory to neurological diagnosis.
The brain is a marvellous and intricate organ. We still don’t fully understand how it operates and why it behaves the way it does, despite decades of research and advancements in science.
But we’re aware of its strength. It might take longer than a computer to calculate complicated problems, but it is far more energy-efficient and far better at learning and remembering. Even more recently, scientists have started examining how to link a brain with a computer, giving us access to the power of a human mind.
According to a recent publication in the journal Frontiers in Science, one group of researchers names the concept “organoid intelligence,” or OI, and they have a strategy to make it happen.
In order to create tiny clusters of brain cells that could replace conventional silicon computer chips, these researchers plan to develop human tissue samples. These cell clusters, known as “organoids,” are bigger and more 3D than conventional cultures, enabling the neurons inside to form much more connections.
It is a technology that needs support from many different scientific fields to take off. While other researchers are working on developing technology that would enable us to communicate with a clump of cells and have that clump communicate back, some researchers are working on growing organoids to the 10-million-cell size scientists estimate they will need to be in order to run a computer and access memory capabilities remotely comparable to a human brain.
And some development has occurred. For instance, according to a news release, researchers developed a “equivalent of an EEG cap for organoids” last year. This flexible shell is “densely covered with tiny electrodes that can both pick up signals from the organoid, and transmit signals to it,” the release states.
But these experts are not simply interested in creating extremely powerful computers. These OI computers will also be used to study neurological problems and assist patients.
In a news release, Thomas Hartung, a researcher from Johns Hopkins University and one of the authors of this paper, said, “For example, we may compare memory formation in organoids produced from healthy people and from Alzheimer’s patients, and try to restore relative impairments.” We could also utilise OI to determine whether certain chemicals, like pesticides, impair memory or learning.
It’s fascinating to consider, but it’s challenging—and not only in terms of technology. Such research raises a number of complex ethical issues. Is it acceptable to create computers using people’s cells? Could a machine built from human cells become conscious? And if it does, is it acceptable to keep that consciousness confined to a computer-like function? We don’t need need to know all of those responses just yet because OI isn’t even close to being in our laptops or phones. Regardless of the state the technology is at right now, they must be included in the discussion surrounding OI.
A whole field of study is only just getting started. While there are other factors to take into account besides computational potential, the beginning appears exciting. For instance, a recent study demonstrated that even without the benefit of being a full 3D organoid, a flat brain cell culture can learn how to play Pong.
Although it might sound like science fiction, it is actually being developed. It will now be a simple question of developing the community, the tools, and the technologies to fully realise the potential of OI, according to Hartung in the press release.
