Computers powered by human brain cells will be required for real AI.

A recent study has shown that the human brain continues to outperform artificial intelligence (AI) technology in several tasks. Researchers from John Hopkins University, along with Dr Brett Kagan from Cortical Labs in Melbourne, have proposed the creation of a new type of computer called biological computers. The team believes that these computers could surpass electronic computers in certain applications while using only a fraction of the electricity required by today’s computers and server farms. The researchers have started by creating small clusters of 50,000 brain cells known as organoids. They aim to grow the organoids to 10 million neurons, which is about the number of neurons in a tortoise brain. In comparison, the average human brain has over 80 billion neurons.

The authors of the study have outlined their plan for “organoid intelligence” (OI), with the brain organoids grown in cell-culture. Brain organoids are not “mini brains,” but they share key aspects of brain function and structure. The researchers would need to increase the number of cells from 50,000 to 10 million for OI. Brett and his colleagues at Cortical Labs have already demonstrated that biocomputers based on human brain cells are possible. A recent paper in Neuron showed that a flat culture of brain cells could learn to play the video game Pong. The researchers believe that OI promises unprecedented advances in computing speed, processing power, data efficiency, and storage capabilities, all with lower energy needs.

The study also highlights how the human brain outperforms machines for specific tasks. For example, humans can distinguish two types of objects using only a few samples, while AI algorithms need many thousands. Brains are also more energy-efficient than computers. Our brains can store the equivalent of over a million times the capacity of an average home computer (2.5 petabytes) using only a few watts of power. US data farms, by contrast, use more than 15,000 megawatts a year, much of it generated by dozens of coal-fired power stations.

The authors of the study believe that the creation of biological computers and organoid intelligence systems could lead to significant improvements in AI technology. They are optimistic that this new field of biocomputing will bring unprecedented advances in computing speed, processing power, data efficiency, and storage capabilities, all with lower energy needs. They plan to build the community, the tools, and the technologies needed to realize OI’s full potential.

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