Organoid intelligence (OI) is an emerging field of study in computer science and biology that develops and studies biological computing using 3D cultures of human brain cells (or brain organoids) and brain-machine interface technologies.[1] Such technologies may be referred to as OIs.
As opposed to traditional non-organic silicon-based approaches, OI seeks to use lab-grown cerebral organoids to serve as "biological hardware." Scientists hope that such organoids can provide faster, more efficient, and more powerful computing power than regular silicon-based computing and AI while requiring only a fraction of the energy. However, while these structures are still far from being able to think like a regular human brain and do not yet possess strong computing capabilities, OI research currently offers the potential to improve the understanding of brain development, learning and memory, potentially finding treatments for neurological disorders such as dementia.[2]
Thomas Hartung,[3] a professor from Johns Hopkins University, argues that "while silicon-based computers are certainly better with numbers, brains are better at learning." Furthermore, he claimed that with "superior learning and storing" capabilities than AIs, being more energy efficient, and that in the future, it might not be possible to add more transistors to a single computer chip, while brains are wired differently and have more potential for storage and computing power, OIs can potentially harness more power than current computers.[4]
OI generates complex biological data, necessitating sophisticated methods for processing and analysis.[5] Bioinformatics provides the tools and techniques to decipher raw data, uncovering the patterns and insights.
Brain-inspired computing hardware aims to emulate the structure and working principles of the brain and could be used to address current limitations in artificial intelligence technologies. However, brain-inspired silicon chips are still limited in their ability to fully mimic brain function, as most examples are built on digital electronic principles. One study performed OI computation (which they termed Brainoware) by sending and receiving information from the brain organoid using a high-density multielectrode array. By applying spatiotemporal electrical stimulation, nonlinear dynamics, and fading memory properties, as well as unsupervised learning from training data by reshaping the organoid functional connectivity, the study showed the potential of this technology by using it for speech recognition and nonlinear equation prediction in a reservoir computing framework.[6]
While researchers are hoping to use OI and biological computing to complement traditional silicon-based computing, there are also questions about the ethics of such an approach. Examples of such ethical issues include OIs gaining consciousness and sentience as organoids and the question of the relationship between a stem cell donor (for growing the organoid) and the respective OI system.[7]
Enforced amnesia and limits on duration of operation without memory reset have been proposed as a way to mitigate the potential risk of silent suffering in brain organoids.[8]