Human Brain Cells Powering Living Computers: A New Frontier in Artificial Intelligence?

As leading artificial intelligence researchers explore the limits of current technologies, a different approach is gaining traction: biological computers built from living human brain cells.

According to Science Alert, these biological computers are still in early development but have already demonstrated the ability to perform simple tasks, such as playing Pong and basic voice recognition.

This technology is driven by three interconnected trends:

• An influx of venture capital into AI-related projects, allowing theoretical ideas to be quickly funded.

• Advances in techniques for culturing brain tissue outside the body, which have found applications in the pharmaceutical industry.

• The rapid evolution of brain-computer interfaces, blurring the lines between biology and machines.

Bram Servais, a biomedical engineering researcher at the University of Melbourne, raises significant questions:

Are these developments genuine breakthroughs or merely hype? What ethical considerations arise from using human brain tissue as computing components?

* What Are Biological Computers?

For the past fifty years, scientists have been cultivating neurons on electrical matrices to study their behavior.

In the early 2000s, researchers began developing bidirectional communication between neurons and electronic devices, laying the groundwork for hybrid biological computers.

Later, a branch of brain organoids emerged. In 2013, scientists demonstrated that stem cells could organize into three-dimensional structures resembling brain tissue.

With the rise of "organ-on-a-chip" devices that mimic bodily functions outside the body, organoids have become commonplace in drug testing and developmental research.

However, neuronal activity remains primitive, far removed from actual brain patterns, and there is no evidence of consciousness or perception.

* Entering the Era of "Organoid Intelligence"

In 2022, Cortical Labs in Melbourne demonstrated that cultured neurons could learn to play Pong in a closed system.

This research garnered media attention not just for the experiment but also for the use of the term "embodied cognition," which neuroscientists have criticized as ethically and scientifically exaggerated.

Subsequently, researchers proposed a broader term, "organoid intelligence,” but this does not equate to true artificial intelligence, as the distinction between the two is significant.

* Ethical Debates Lagging Behind

As the technology advances, ethical frameworks are struggling to keep pace, often focusing on organoids as medical tools rather than as hybrid computing components.

Researchers have called for a rapid update of ethical principles, especially as these studies move toward commercial applications.

* A Rapid Research and Commercial Race

Currently, universities and companies in the U.S., Switzerland, China, and Australia are racing to develop hybrid biological computing platforms:

• FinalSpark in Switzerland offers remote access to its neuronal organoids.

• Cortical Labs is preparing to launch a desktop biological computer named CL1, aimed at researchers beyond the pharmaceutical field, including AI developers.

Academic ambitions are also vast, with a group from the University of California proposing to use organoids to predict oil spill trajectories in the Amazon by 2028.

* An Uncertain Future: Curiosity or Revolution?

So far, there is no evidence of real intelligence or consciousness; current systems only show a basic ability to respond and adapt.

The current focus is on:

• Reproducing prototypes

• Expanding their capabilities

• Seeking practical applications, such as alternatives to animal models in neuroscience and toxicology research, or predicting brain activity related to epilepsy.

However, ethical challenges are profound:

When does a system of human cells become considered intelligent or deserving of ethical consideration? How can society regulate biological systems acting as small computers?

While the technology is still in its infancy, discussions surrounding consciousness, intelligence, and ethics may become urgent sooner than anticipated.