About this episode
This episode explores the concept of biological computers made from human neurons and their implications for the future of technology and artificial intelligence.
This episode was originally reported on our podcast Reflector. You can hear this story and many more by visiting us here What if the next great leap in computing wasn't made of silicon — but of living human brain cells? Reporter Greg Warner takes us inside the lab of Hon Weng Chong, an Australian computer engineer who has built a biological computer: a device that houses actual human neurons in a petri dish, teaches them to play Pong using reward and punishment, and is now being sold to medical researchers, crypto gamers, and roboticists with very big dreams. Along the way, Andy and Greg dig into what these cells might actually feel, why the path to artificial general intelligence might run through a robot's skin rather than its brain, and what it would mean to one day stick a chip of pre-programmed neurons back into a human head. It's weird, it's a little smelly, and it might be the future. THIS EPISODE FEATURES: Hon Weng Chong - CEO and founder of Cortical Labs Dr. Minas Liarokapis - CEO/CTO of Acumino Inc., Director of the New Dexterity Research Group LINKS: Cortical Labs Acumino Dishbrain Paper - In vitro neurons learn and exhibit sentience when embodied in a simulated…
People in this episode
Hosts: Greg Warner, Andy Mills
Guests: Hon Weng Chong, Dr. Minas Liarokapis
Topics covered
- biological computing
- artificial intelligence
- neuroscience
- technology
- future of computing
Keywords
- biological computer
- human neurons
- Pong
- artificial general intelligence
- Cortical Labs
- Acumino
- robotics
- neuroscience
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Cortical Labs, Acumino Inc.
Books & works: Dishbrain Paper - In vitro neurons learn and exhibit sentience when embodied in a simulated game-world
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