Scientists say biocomputers made from tiny ‘brains’ are the future.

Scientists say biocomputers made from tiny ‘brains’ are the future. Here's why.

We're witnessing the development of a new frontier in computing, moving away from AI back to where it all started: the human brain.

Everyone is freaking out over artificial intelligence systems and their potential to disrupt, well, everything really. But this tunnel vision shouldn’t distract us from what can be achieved by tapping into natural intelligence, which is orders of magnitude more capable in some areas of computing than the biggest, meanest AIs and supercomputers.

Now, imagine how extraordinary it would be if we could somehow combine the raw computing power and precision of silicon-based computers with the cognitive abilities of the human brain. But is such a thing even possible? Indeed it may be, according to an international group of leading scientists who outlined their plan for so-called “organoid intelligence” (OI) enabled by biocomputers that use actual human brain cells rather than transistors to store, retrieve, and process information.

I have been trying to spread the word that the current darling called "ChatGPT" is not artificial intelligence. That it is a remarkably well constructed collection of algorithms and processes that synthesizes human speech, and draws from data sets to which it must be directed. That real artificial intelligence is only 'approximated' thus far, and we in the public have no actual access to it, in its current form. From my understanding there are less than 100 systems that can be rightly called some form of artificial intelligence, and whether or not we should 'fear' it, is far from evident. But the media is what it is, and fear is click bait and talking head worthy.

This article describes something that represents something we really should fear. This theoretical "organoid intelligence" (OI) is a real ethical problem in the end because essentially, it IS alive. Should these scientists manage to create a working device complete with 'artificial intelligence' programming we will be hard pressed to deny it is a true living sentience. In other words, it may merit a reconsideration of what kinds of thing have "rights as living beings" or maybe even "personhood."

Let’s start off by recognizing the fact that there are many similarities between the architecture of the brain and that of a computer, as both consist of largely separate circuits for input, output, central processing, and memory. This is of course by design as the pioneers of computing modeled artificial thinking machines based on the human brain. For instance, the brief but profound book The Computer and the Brain by the brilliant and unequaled John von Neumann in the 1940s is still the basis of most modern computers.

(I'll confess I wanted to include this excerpt from the article just to link the highly significant book link... seriously interested folks might enjoy that read - even if only to skim it.)

Ultimately, the same reassurances we heard about computers never being able to 'think' back in the 20th century are being echoed here about OI.

At the current stage in which this research is right now, there should be no moral concerns over using these organoids. There’s essentially zero chance that these 3-D blobs of neurons are conscious, especially considering that the level of abstraction required to achieve consciousness is, from what neuroscientists know at the moment, predicated on having sensory input. A bodiless brain organoid — which isn’t actually a brain yet — with very limited sensory information relayed by some electrodes cannot ever achieve consciousness, but Hartung nevertheless is actively involving ethicists in all steps of this process, which he calls ’embedded ethics’.

If Hartung’s vision is ever achieved, the prospect of dish-grown ‘tiny brains’ becoming conscious — though still remote — will become increasingly possible.

Could it happen? Possibly. Are they going to "take it there?" Without a doubt.

Hartung mentions that there is now a fledgling OI community thanks to initiatives like a 2022 Johns Hopkins workshop that eventually led to the development of the Baltimore Declaration toward OI, which will be published shortly.

If any of you dear readers come across this "Baltimore Declaration toward OI" I hope you'll bring it along and share it with us.

a reply to: Maxmars
I was reading about these,and although they sound creepy and unethical as heck-I bet they would make the most powerful computers if they could be steered to grow in certain ways.
To maximise the potential we still need to know far more about how our brains work I think.
I suspect there is an entire science as yet unlocked regarding the quantum nature of our brains,which could be used to make incredibly powerful computers in the future.

It could turn out badly though,maybe even leading to a situation like the title of a track by "The Orb" called-

"A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules from the Centre of the Ultraworld"

a reply to: Maxmars

"Organoid Intelligence" sounds as funny as "homoBORGenesis", and less funny as "greys are future humans".

I found this article about "Baltimore Declaration toward OI" just now...
www.frontiersin.org...

Is this just part of the "transhuman conpsiracy"? Was William Michael Albert Broad right about cyberpunks?
Are those seeking mortal longevity just afraid of death? What's the next big science fiction come true?

From the FrontierSin article linked above:

Nevertheless, as advances in the structural and functional complexity of OI systems begin to recapitulate aspects of human neurobiological (sub)-processes, such as learning and cognition, researchers will inevitably encounter the Greely Dilemma: a situation whereby incremental successes in modelling aspects of the human brain will raise the same kind of ethical concerns that originally motivated their development (223). Sufficient advances in OI will raise questions about the moral status[/] of these entities and concerns for their welfare.

Frameworks have been proposed to address these ethical concerns in research practices (224, 225) but it remains unknown whether these proposals adequately attend to moral concerns held by the public. For example, harm reduction policies are often unsuccessful in gaining public support when the underlying attitude is based on a moral conviction (226) with implications for public discourse (227).

Comprehensive ethical analysis of OI will require input from diverse public and relevant stakeholder groups (228), in order to (i) prevent misunderstandings from creating unintended moral appraisals, and (ii) and foster trust, confidence, and inclusion through responsible public engagement. Notably, moral attitudes toward OI may depend less on epistemological concerns mentioned above, such as the role of specific cognitive capacities in assessments of moral status, and more on ontological arguments of what constitutes a human being. Perceptions of (re)creating ‘human-like’ entities in the lab are likely to evoke concerns about infringing on human dignity that could reflect secular or theological beliefs about the "essential" nature of the human being (229, 230). Our approach to embedded ethics in OI will seek to identify and attend to these ethical concerns by informing future public engagement and deliberation on OI.

Meatbots have no soul. Truss the psience.
"Have you upgraded your genetics today?"

Maybe this is just a way of telling us what we really are ?

They're breaking it to us slowly.

The Matrix™ : was it not a central computing system, that had all of the Human brains hooked-up to a web ?

META™ anyone ?

( Tried to post the last image from the article her, but to no avail. It really makes me think of what they could do to us. )

Anyways : not really sure about nothin.
Just spitballin.

Everything called AI presently are just very sophisticated mimicry. There is no sentience here possible and these things can be unplugged at will. The database service that they do is phenomenal, and if used to automate repetitive tasks and augment the recall of important data, then so be it.

However, what we are talking about in this thread is a biologic hybrid, and that is the only way you could develop true AI, the unsolicited though and autonomous decision making that leads to self awareness. This is how the brain works as a distributed network of logic bundles and synapses. If AI is going to be dangerous, it will be in this model, not the later.

"Scientists" also claimed that the mRNA clot-shot was "safe and effective" as well...

If it's bio, that means you'll have to change out the mini brain? Shorter life expectancy of the "computer"? Do you need to feed it? How would it get it's vitamins and minerals to live? Wouldn't the tissue need some sort of vascular system to survive? If it's a bio brain, maybe it will suddenly become sentient and this could go way different than we think?

originally posted by: Timber13
If it's bio, that means you'll have to change out the mini brain? Shorter life expectancy of the "computer"? Do you need to feed it? How would it get it's vitamins and minerals to live? Wouldn't the tissue need some sort of vascular system to survive? If it's a bio brain, maybe it will suddenly become sentient and this could go way different than we think?

I wouldn't give BBrain any important life or death functions. Just let him control city grass sprinklers for starters.

originally posted by: Timber13
If it's bio, that means you'll have to change out the mini brain? Shorter life expectancy of the "computer"? Do you need to feed it? How would it get it's vitamins and minerals to live? Wouldn't the tissue need some sort of vascular system to survive? If it's a bio brain, maybe it will suddenly become sentient and this could go way different than we think?

THOSE ARE VERY IMPORTANT QUESTIONS.

I imagine we would have to worry about our computers getting diseases or disorders which would involve "medical solutions."

Aging and decrepitude would be considerations that would have to be ironed-out.

On the upside I suppose it would be immune to EMP and sunspots.

Things could get very creepy if it is coupled with actual artificial intelligence... because it's not really artificial after all, is it?

would bio computers need to sleep, and if they do, would they dream?

Scientists say biocomputers made from tiny ‘brains’ are the future.

This little fellow might not be too happy about it.