Pong, a tennis-like video game, was taught by researchers to brain cells grown in a lab. Dr. Brett Kagan of Cortical Labs claims to have developed the first “sentient” lab-grown brain in an article published in the journal Neuron. Researchers claim that the “mini-brain” can perceive and react to its surroundings. While some scientists find the discovery “interesting,” others feel that referring to the brain cells as “sentient” goes too far.
Mini-brains were created in 2013 to study microcephaly, and have since been employed in brain development research. However, this is the first time they have connected to and engaged with an outside environment—in this case, a video game.
The research team developed 800,000 human brain cells from stem cells and mouse embryos, then connected this “mini-brain” to the video game using electrodes to show which side the ball was on, and how far away from the paddle.
The cells then generated their electrical activity. The mini-brain took five minutes to learn how to play. The longer the game went on, the less energy was used. However, the cells had to spend more time adjusting to new, uncertain conditions.
Although the mini-brain frequently missed the ball, its success rate was significantly higher than the chance. Dr. Kagan is hopeful that the technique could be utilised to test cures for neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s. “Unlocking brains genuine function opens up so many more study areas that can be thoroughly investigated.” Dr. Kagan’s next experiment will examine the effects of alcohol on the mini-brain’s Pong performance. This could highlight how successful the system might be as an experimental stand-in.
The mini-brains are likely to get more complicated as the research proceeds, but Dr. Kagan’s team is working with bioethicists to avoid accidentally creating a conscious brain. ”We have to see this new technology very much like the fledgling computer industry, not very reliable, yet they led to technical marvels around the world after years of diligent research” he explains.
The researchers claim that because their small brains are more adaptive than current AI systems, they may serve as the foundation for more versatile robots.
Original source: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment
