sortiwa
In brief: An unconventional form of artificial intelligence is taking shape in a nondescript laboratory in Melbourne, Australia. Cortical Labs has unveiled CL1 – an AI computer that fuses real human brain cells with silicon hardware. Remarkably, it’s been launched commercially as the “world’s first commercialized biological computer.”
At first glance, the CL1 looks like a rather unconventional PC with a small, horizontal form factor. But that’s where the similarity ends. Inside, the CL1 houses hundreds of thousands of lab-grown human neurons cultivated from stem cells derived from blood samples.
These neurons form networks on a silicon “chip” and interface with a computer system, allowing them to receive data, process that information, and produce outputs through their neural firing patterns. The engineers describe these networks as an ever-evolving organic computer that learns quickly and flexibly.
Brett Kagan, Cortical Labs’ Chief Science Officer, explained to ABC News that the concept uses biological brain cells directly instead of trying to artificially recreate neural networks in code. This was crucial considering biological brains, unfortunately, remain the only systems with true generalized intelligence.
While the CL1 isn’t intended to replace cutting-edge AI for general tasks yet, its creators say the biological neurons could be useful for tasks such as medical research and ultra-low-power computing. The key advantage here is the rapid learning abilities of neurons, which are able to make intuitive inferences from limited data more quickly than current AI.
The energy efficiency of biological neurons is another potential upside compared to the incredible power consumption of typical AI models. Kagan noted that CL1 operates on just a few watts.
For now, it looks as if the computer is more of a platform that researchers and tech companies can rent to run their experiments before developing actually useful applications.
You can rent these systems to run your own experiments. Cortical Labs is offering them as a “Wetware-as-a-Service” (WaaS), where customers can buy time on the chips and access them remotely like you’d with a cloud. They can also purchase units of the CL1 outright.
Cortical Labs previously saw success in training neurons in a dish to play Pong back in 2022. Now, they’re counting on innovators to leverage their creation in ways not yet imagined.
However, not everyone is fully convinced by Cortical Labs’ claims. Ernst Wolvetang of the University of Queensland, who spoke to ABC News, said that while he was impressed with the work, he cautioned that the company’s 2D neuron layers are relatively simplistic compared to the intricate networks found in the human brain.
Then there’s the ethical can of worms surrounding the use of neurons, which are essentially part of the human brain. For example, what if these cells actually have some form of awareness? Cortical Labs isn’t brushing those concerns aside. They’re taking the risks of consciousness or sentience seriously by consulting bioethicist experts. As Kagan put it, they “don’t want to create any suffering in a dish.”
Source link