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.
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.
To read more, click here.