Current AI training methods burn colossal amounts of energy to learn, but the human brain sips just 20 W. Swiss startup FinalSpark is now selling access to cyborg biocomputers, running up to four living human brain organoids wired into silicon chips.
The human brain communicates within itself and with the rest of the body mainly through electrical signals; sights, sounds and sensations are all converted into electrical pulses before our brains can perceive them. This makes brain tissue highly compatible with silicon chips, at least for as long as you can keep it alive.
For FinalSpark's Neuroplatform, brain organoids comprising about 10,000 living neurons are grown from stem cells. These little balls, about 0.5 mm (0.02 in) in diameter, are kept in incubators at around body temperature, supplied with water and nutrients and protected from bacterial or viral contamination, and they're wired into an electrical circuit with a series of tiny electrodes.
These two-way electrodes can send pulses of electricity into the brain organoids, and they can also measure the responses coming out of them. And that's really all you need to start taking advantage of nature's greatest computing machines; neurons habitually search for patterns, seeking order and predictability.
You can create a virtual environment for them, complete with the capability to perform actions and perceive the results, solely using electrical stimulation. You can reward them with predictable stimuli and 'punish' them with chaotic stimuli, and watch how quickly they rewire themselves to become adept at orienting themselves toward those rewards.
We've written before about computer chips with integrated brain cells – notably the Australian DishBrain device by Cortical Labs, which uses 800,000 human brain cells grown onto silicon chips. DishBrain managed to learn to play Pong within about five minutes, and has demonstrated impressive capabilities as a super-efficient machine learning tool, even drawing in military funding for further research.
The FinalSpark team uses smaller organoids, wired into arrays, and it also adds a new wrinkle, in the ability to flood the organoids with reward hormones like dopamine when they've done a good job.
"We encapsulate dopamine in a molecular cage, invisible to the organoid initially," co-founder Dr Fred Jordan told Techopedia last year. "When we want to ‘reward' the organoid, we expose it to specific light frequencies. This light opens the cage, releasing the dopamine and providing the intended stimulus to the organoid."
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I pray God comes down and scorches the earth before we can bastardize his most perfect creation.
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Give it another 2000 years jesus will be back soon
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And if simulation theorys a thing? This might be one of the unknown ultimate ways to worship him in that case. By replicating his creation, then allowing them to feel the joy and grace that he bestowed to us.
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What does simulation theory have to do with it? If God made us in a lab or in primordial nothing it doesn't really matter, he is God none the less.
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I mean yeah he's the creator of all regardless, but the posts about simulated yet living brain tissues on silicon chips.
If we're in base reality, then that would mostly be seen as a fricking disgusting and heretical bastardization of creation.
If we're not in base reality, then we're the same shit as that sludge on a wafer and whose to say the creator of it all wouldn't love more simulated sentience that follows his message and is able to benefit from his gifts like feeling joy?
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From my POV God created us in his likeness, therefore any "heretical attempt at a bastardization of creation" is approved by the big guy
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Least r-slurred moralBIPOC
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Well firstly, as a Christian I don't think ours is the "base" reality. As for computer God's pride in our emulation of him, I can tell you that if he didn't suspect it already it would be a big clue to him that he himself is the creation of his own computer God. If he did suspect it then I'm sure it would be the nail in the confirmation coffin. Scientists are narcissistic asses that hate when they are not the smartest guy, once he realized he was just another link in the chain I suspect he would start with smashing our reality server then go killdozer on his computers municipal government.
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yea like smallpox
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