Can Organoid Intelligence outsmart Generative AI?

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have discovered a new form of intelligence called organoid intelligence. Organoids are three-dimensional tissue cultures derived from human pluripotent stem cells. They can be engineered to function like a human organ and grow into any type of organ tissue, including the human brain.

Brain organoids have been used to model and study neurodegenerative diseases for almost a decade. Recently, Melbourne researchers trained 800,000 brain cells to play Pong, indicating that lab-grown brain cells may be capable of learning.

This has led to speculation that organoid intelligence may outcompete artificial intelligence in the future.

What is Organoid Intelligence?

Organoid intelligence is the ability of organoids to acquire, store and apply information. While the AI chatbot platform like ChatGPT can respond to its users in real-time with curated responses, the extent of its intelligence is limited by data-based algorithms.

Computers inherently cannot think or feel on their own, and similarly, brain organoids can learn to perform tasks, but there is no evidence that they are capable of consciousness. Intelligence alone is not sufficient for the subjective feeling of consciousness.

How is Organoid Intelligence Different from Artificial Intelligence?

While artificial intelligence can perform calculations, provide personalized recommendations, and automate manual tasks, it is currently limited to sequential processing.

The human brain, on the other hand, can perform parallel processing, allowing us to analyze multiple pieces of information simultaneously.

Organoid intelligence has the potential to enhance automation and reduce energy consumption by leveraging the benefits of biological learning.

What are the Limitations of Artificial Intelligence?

AI technology has limitations in processing complex and unfamiliar information and requires significantly greater energy demands. In contrast, the human brain only requires a fraction of the energy for its undefined storage limit.

With its ability to store seemingly unlimited information throughout our lifetime, researchers aim to scale up current brain organoid models to reach similar storage capacities.

What are the Possibilities of Organoid Intelligence?

Brain organoid-powered computer systems may provide a new window of opportunity for preclinical drug treatment trials. They can report real-time physiological data on how nerve cells respond to a new drug while mitigating the ethical challenges of exposing humans or animals to possible side effects.

As this emerging field continues to advance, organoid intelligence has limitless possibilities for research and innovation.

What are the Ethical Questions Surrounding Organoid Intelligence?

As the organoid models become more human-like, researchers will be forced to define what makes a person a person.

The Greely Dilemma could be encountered in an effort to develop more realistic and ethical methods for studying the brain. The question of who owns the organoid cultures, even if they never become sentient, is also a concern.

Organoid intelligence is a new form of intelligence that can create limitless possibilities for research and innovation. While it has similarities to artificial intelligence, it has the potential to enhance automation and reduce energy consumption by leveraging the benefits of biological learning.

However, as this field continues to advance, researchers must consider the ethical questions surrounding organoid intelligence.