Scientists in research centers across the globe are now performing an astonishing feat: they are no longer controlling a computer with silicon chips, but with living brain cells. This isn’t a sci-fi plot. Scientists are growing these brain cells into mini-communities known as organoids. They are hooking them to the computers and they have created a new area of discovery known as Organoid Intelligence. Such a drastic combination of biology and technology may transform the future of computing and medicine. Are we in a position to face a new future based on wetware?
What Is It that Organoid Intelligence?
Let’s break it down. OI is the Scientific bio-hardware employing lab-grown brain organoids. Scientists study these approximately pea-sized 3D sculptures, which aren’t full brains but nevertheless contain operating neurons and neural networks.
They connect them to computers through elaborate interfaces, forming a system of lifelong learning. This system aims to exploit the brain’s unmatched efficiency in performing certain tasks.
It is a brand new mode of calculation and discovery.
“We’re not just building a tool. We are training the miniature, growing brain, to communicate with us.
The Beautiful Hardware of Biological Computing
What is the way to construct a biological computer? It starts with stem cells. It involves the reprogramming of human skin or blood cells by scientists to a blank slate. Then they induce these cells to be neurons carefully. The cells assemble themselves into complicated 3D networks. They are placed in bioreactors which simulate the natural brain environment. The formation of the organoid is a process that forms the complex architecture. And it is the material basis of thought and learning.
The brain of a person functions using only 20 watts. Millions of times more power is used in a supercomputer.
One such case study is a landmark Pong in a Dish case study
Evidence was presented by a household game: Pong. Cortical Labs in Melbourne developed DishBrain. They attached one of the brain cells cultures to a computer. The system was fed with feedback as to whether the ball was hit by the “paddle” or not. Surprisingly, the neurons got better at playing in five minutes only. They changed their shooting styles to be successful. This wasn’t programmed. It was learned. The finding demonstrated that intelligent, adaptive behavior could be demonstrated in the cultures of neurons.
Why Even Go Down This Road?
You may ask why we should have this. Traditional AI has limits. It consumes huge data and power. It is experiencing difficulty in intuitive thinking. However, it is the human brain that is excellent in such tasks. OI is an assurance of high-performance computing. It would be able to handle complicated issues using minimum energy. Moreover, it provides a first-hand view of the functionality and malfunction of the brain. It is an epic discovery, thanks to this two-sided potential.
The Medical Breakthrough Happening Now
In addition to the field of computing, OI is transforming medicine. Nature researchers develop patient-in-a-dish models. They utilize stem cells of people with such conditions as Alzheimer or autism. The resulting organoids are able to demonstrate early disease indications. This will enable unprecedented drug testing. Scientists are able to observe the direct effects of a drug on the human brain tissue. This speeds up the process of discovery and results in individualized treatment.
Sailing the Uncharted Ethical Landscape
This profession has no shallow ethical issues. Is it possible that these clusters will become conscious? What rights would they have? Proactive use of ethicists in the community is going on. The embedded ethics principle is essential. The science is becoming too far out in front of what the morality should allow. This discussion is as significant as the very discovery.
My Opinion: The Real Value is Invisible
Being a follower of this field, I think that the hype of biocomputing is more than the actual victory. A brain in a dish running your phone will not be the most significant effect. It will be a silent finding of a drug which will stop Parkinson. Or knowing when exactly it is that autism starts in neural development. OI is ultimately a mirror. It will reveal to us the sources of our personal thoughts, fears and illnesses. It is the real revolution of self-knowledge.