A new trend in technology includes brains and the capacity to turn them into computers. There’s a big question about the future of these advances in technology and research. The term biocomputers is now a reality.
To turn brains into computers and technology there’s a Artificial General Intelligence goal for almost all big techs nowadays. Amazon, OpenAi, Meta and xAI among others are actually working to put machines at the same level of human brains in behavior and reasoning.
Brains and computers, ping pong and other activities
Certain corporations are already working to make technology using human material, specifically brain cells according to a Science Alert article.
The article indicates that biology and technology are closer than ever nowadays. There’s a lot of enthusiasm in certain companies to combine artificial intelligence and human capacities. At the moment, there are three convergent trends attempting this goal.
First the venture capital flow to anything related with artificial intelligence. In a few words, almost any idea including artificial intelligence nowadays if potentially bankable.
Then, there’s the possibility of growing brain tissue outside the body with advanced technology. Even pharmaceutical companies have joined the process.
Finally, the highlight advances on brain-computer interfaces have helped technology to become highly accepted when combining biology and machines.
The new experiments and projects include several studies about neurons’ activation using little electrodes. It’s a first step to turn brains into computers if they keep investigating.
Recent studies
In 2013, a group of scientists showed that mother cells coul automatically organize themselves into autonomic tridimensional structures very similar to those of a human brain.
A few years back, another group of researchers decided to establish a bidirectional communication between neurons and electrodes. This is recognized now as the first seed for a biohybrid computer model.
Nearer in time, Australian company Cortical Labs is trying to determine if the cultivated seeds can play ping pong in a closed circuit.
It’s a very interesting and original theory but it’s also hard. The progress is generating doubts and criticism about the dangers of comparing artificial intelligence with human intelligence.
Biocomputers first stages
Right now, biocomputers development is still in the first stages. The most advanced countries technologically speaking are competing to build biohybrid informatics platforms for multidisciplinary goals.
FinalSpak from Switzerland is currently offering remote access to neuronal organoids and Cortical Labs is going to launch a desktop biocomputer named CL1.
On the other hand, San Diego’s University in California, United States proposes organoid based systems to predict the trajectory of oil spills in Amazonia for 2028 for example.
The most important Universities and technological companies are working on Artificial Intelligence to some degree. In terms of brains and computers together, the field is still new but it brims with potential. The idea of creating new computers from brains seems out of a science fiction story. However, it’s a reality and in the near future we may be exposed to extremely intelligent devices created with neurons and other brain cells characteristics.