Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore envision that a 'biocomputer' powered by an organoid made up of millions of human brain cells might be produced within our lifetime, the press release reported. The concept is called organoid intelligence, which could surpass the current learning capabilities of any computer.
While prior research has questioned whether a biocomputer would breach an 'ethical boundary,' the team claims organoids would be utilized safely and ethically.
Organoid Intelligence Computer that Uses Lab-grown Organs Could Be Developed Soon, Scientists Say
Organoid Intelligence Vs. Artificial Intelligence
An international team of academics led by Professor Thomas Hartung of Johns Hopkins University wrote the new study, titled "Organoid Intelligence: A New Biocomputing Frontier," published in the journal Frontiers in Science, that the multidisciplinary area of organoid intelligence aims to use brain organoids and use them for scientific and geoengineering breakthroughs in an ethical manner.
Hartung explains that whereas artificial intelligence attempts to make computers brain-like, OI research investigates how to make 3D brain cell culture become computer-like. He noted that although AI is faster in computing numbers, human brains are smarter in making complex logical decisions.
Researchers emphasize that AI and OI can coexist in a 'complementarity' approach. OI systems, like nerve cells in human brains, would employ chemical and electrical transmission to obey instructions and perform tasks. OI may also be quicker, more efficient, and more powerful than AI, using a fraction of the energy the latter use.
According to MailOnline, microscopic, three-dimensional tissue cultures produced from stem cells and organoids have been around since the late 1990s. They were used to research and treat malignancies, heart difficulties, tissue transplants, neurological diseases, and other conditions.
These tiny spheres, about the size of a pen dot, include neurons, synapses, and other elements that enable basic processes, including learning and memory. Unlike different cell cultures, organoids feature a three-dimensional shape that boosts cell density 1,000-fold, allowing neurons to create more connections.
In 2012, Professor Hartung started growing and assembling brain cells into functioning organoids using cells from reprogrammed human skin biopsies. Each organoid has around 50,000 cells, roughly the size of a fruit fly's nervous system. But this is still insufficient, emphasizing that a boost to about 10 million for OI is needed.
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It Takes More Decades To Create This Biocomputer
The study team envisages developing a future computer with brain organoids and real-world sensors and output devices. They said this biocomputer could alleviate the energy-consumption demands of supercomputing, which is becoming unsustainable.
However, they also noted that developing a biocomputer could take decades by scaling up organoid production and training them with artificial intelligence. Hartung predicts a future with biocomputers supporting superior speed, processing power, data efficiency, and storage capabilities in computing.
Also, it could open up research on how the brain works because it involves manipulating the OI system and doing things that cannot be ethically done in human brains.
A broad coalition of scientists, bioethicists, and members of the public was integrated within the Johns Hopkins team to explore the ethical implications of working with organoid intelligence.
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