Will the computers of tomorrow be made from the human brain? According to the British newspaper the independentScientists hope to create biocomputers, made up of three-dimensional collections of brain cells, to mimic the performance of our brains.
Australian researchers already trained such a computer to play the video game Pong last October. They managed to create a mini-brain from the embryonic cells of a mouse. Now scientists want to make a kind of new artificial intelligence, which they call “organoid intelligence.”
The goal, according to the researchers, is to allow these biocomputers to learn much faster than silicon-based computers. They would also be more efficient, they hope, and could store much more detail.
Organic intelligence requires 10 million cells
In addition, these organic computers could help us learn more about the human brain, according to the independent. The researchers could compare how “healthy” organoids learn with people who may have neurological disorders.
However, a lot of work is needed before the biocomputers are operational. The latter require 10 million cells, while brain organoids only have about 50,000. They must also be able to send, receive, and understand information.
However, these biocomputers, capable of functioning as human brains, could face ethical problems, the researchers note. The latter claim to be surrounded by ethicists and say they are concerned with “developing organic intelligence in an ethical and socially responsible manner.”
Source: BFM TV
