The Australian company Cortical Labs grows artificial human mini-brains. These consist of around one million neurons that can be electrically stimulated and whose reactions can be read out. In a study the scientists describe how they taught these constructs a computer game that they learned and mastered faster than artificial intelligence. These “God games” raise countless ethical questions that have not been clarified to the slightest.
The study available on bioRxiv”In vitro neurons learn and exhibit sentience when embodied in a simulated game-world” explains the achievements of the scientists. While artificial intelligence at the time of the research, at the end of 2021, needed a little more than an hour to master the task, the artificial human brains were able to play the video game “Pong” within five minutes. The neurons would have restructured like in a real brain and adapted to the problem.
“Playing God” has certainly arrived in a new dimension. Ethical issues will in the media, who report on the research results, are not asked. New Scientist also published a video on YouTube on the facts.
In 2020, the journal Nature dealt with the obvious question: Can lab-grown brains become conscious??
Muotri, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), has found some unusual ways to use his. He has connected organoids to walking robots, modified their genomes with Neanderthal genes, launched them into orbit aboard the International Space Station, and used them as models to create more human-like artificial intelligence systems. Like many scientists, Muotri has temporarily focused on studying COVID-19, using brain organoids to test how drugs work against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
Nature.com on October 27, 2020
Concerns about lab-grown brains have also revealed a blind spot: neuroscientists don’t have a consistent way to define and measure consciousness. Without a working definition, ethicists fear it will be impossible to stop an experiment before it crosses a line.
Nature.com on October 27, 2020
The necessary ethical questions were at least asked and discussed in this world-famous specialist magazine – but a solution is still a long way off. Legislation around the world is probably not even aware of this problem – there it is also more important that internet users click on annoying “cookie banners” because data security is certainly much more effective that way. Nature explains the problems in defining and measuring “consciousness” – and believes that it may be easier to create conscious organic structures than to define them. Current clinical tests for consciousness are aimed at pain reactions – this could be far too little and also allows thoughts on the topic of whether intensive care patients who have been declared brain-dead are really always as “dead” as the treating doctors believe.
Scientist Muotri, quoted in Nature, sees little difference between working on a human organoid or a laboratory mouse: “We work with conscious animal models and there are no problems,” he says. “We have to move forward and if it turns out they’re becoming aware, I honestly don’t see that as a big deal.”Citation: Nature.com)
For conspiracy theorists who are firmly convinced that gene injections can form artificial microchips and radio stations in the body (which is currently completely impossible with human technology), this offers a completely new field of activity. This may seem ridiculous at first glance, but if you think this relatively new technology a few years into the future, maybe shuddering is appropriate. In any case, injecting artificial neurons would be much easier than technical components and their energy supply – the problem here would be how they should take active actions. But the progress alone in reading data from a real neural network should give food for thought and at least inspire horror and sci-fi authors.