Stem cell based ‘wetware’ for biocomputing

Back in February, 2022, I posted an article on wetware that talked about research into the creation of artificial muscle and sensory nerves. Two years later, this New Atlas article describes the creation of a cyborg type system that is:

‘… running up to four living human brain organoids wired into silicon chips.’ https://newatlas.com/computers/finalspark-bio-computers-brain-organoids/

The 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.’ https://newatlas.com/computers/finalspark-bio-computers-brain-organoids/

Swiss company – FinalSpark – has already created this biocomputer, and it is open for business:

In case you don’t want to read the New Atlas article, the reason for creating a biocomputer was to reduce the energy consumption of AI which is already having an impact on the environment. Climate change aside, this translates into cheaper computing because ‘…AI training methods burn colossal amounts of energy to learn, but the human brain sips just 20 W.’ https://newatlas.com/computers/finalspark-bio-computers-brain-organoids/

So, using human brain organoids would reduce the impact of AI/robots on the environment, that’s good, right?

But what about the ethical and moral cost of doing so?

This is a link to an article tracing the evolution and history of stem cell research and development: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8105090/ There is a fine distinction made between two different types of stem cells:

‘…pluripotent and omnipotent stem cells is seen as ethically crucial in medicine’s science. After the complete development of the pluripotent stem cells, there is the possible evolution of them towards complete and equal organisms such as the embryo of origin..’ In other words, a complete human being.

The New Atlas article doesn’t specify what kind of stem cells were used by FinalSpark to create their organoids, but I find it hard to reconcile slaving any kind of human brain tissue to a computer. Yet, if this ‘product’ really does reduce energy consumption, and hence the cost of running AI, I can’t see how the corporations that currently control AI development will be able to resist the increase in their profits.

But wait, the truly disturbing part is that the biocomputer developed by FinalSpark is being ‘trained’ via the use of dopamine. https://newatlas.com/computers/finalspark-bio-computers-brain-organoids/

For those who don’t know:

Dopamine is part of your reward system. This system is designed, from an evolutionary standpoint, to reward you when you’re doing the things you need to do to survive — eat, drink, compete to survive and reproduce. As humans, our brains are hard-wired to seek out behaviors that release dopamine in our reward system. When you’re doing something pleasurable, your brain releases a large amount of dopamine. You feel good and you seek more of that feeling.’ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22581-dopamine

But where there is pleasure there must also be pain – all carrot and no stick doesn’t work very well.

So, these little brain organoids are trained using the same pleasure/pain process that works for you and me. But, of course, they’re not really people…are they?

Knowing how the human brain works, I have never believed that the current crop of AI [sic] will ever become sentient. But…if this humanizing process of AI continues, and increases, where exactly will the wetware part stop?

With close to 9 billion humans already on the planet, the only justification for trying to create your own is if that creation becomes ‘super human’. But which part of humanity will this superhuman exhibit? The empathic, caring side? Or the sociopathic, self-centred side?

I’m afraid I know the answer to those questions, and it ain’t pretty.

Meeks

p.s. What I don’t know is how to turn the bloody block quote OFF. When I use it a lot, as in this post, WordPress chucks a wobbly and makes all subsequent paragraphs into block quotes as well. Getting so sick of this.