Hello computer: Brain powered biocomputers  

With the staggering advances of AI and brain-computer ventures like Neuralink, an “organo-technological” cyborg-like future seems to be on the not-so-distant horizon. However, some researchers are pioneering the reverse: brain powered computers. The burgeoning field of organoid intelligence posits future computer systems to run on networks of human brain cells. Organoids are stem-cell derived 3D matrices of cells grown in the lab to simulate organs and tissues without having to test on living subjects. Brain organoids, coined “intelligence on a chip,” are not functioning independent brains but rather dot-sized networks of interconnected neurons which communicate and replicate simple neurological functions.  

Our 3-pound brains are truly exceptional organs – the adult human brain runs continuously on around 12 watts of power while a typical desktop requires 175 watts to function. Not only are brains extremely energy efficient, but also they also simply have unmatched computational power. The brain can perform an exaflop, or one billion-billion mathematical operations per second. In fact, the Oak Ridge Frontier, one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world, required one million times more power to demonstrate exaflop computing!  

“In fact, the Oak Ridge Frontier, one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world, required one million times more power to demonstrate exaflop computing!”

The natural sophistication of the brain inspired the development of the computer altogether. Pioneering mathematician George Boole established Boolean algebra in which 1s and 0s are logically associated with true or false operations – neurons can either fire or be inactive when transmitting neural signals. This paradigm was later confirmed by logicians Walter Pitts and Warren McCulloch in 1943, who proposed the first mathematical model of a neuron based on accumulating and transferring electrical signals in the form of spikes. The dense network of billions of interlinked neurons sparked the conceptual neural network which has revolutionized deep machine learning by allowing computers to “learn” and improve from past inputs. 

Since 2012, Dr. Thomas Hartung and his team at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Whiting School of Engineering have been developing brain organoids. They predict that organoid intelligence is the new frontier for both neurological and computing technology. Organoids trained against stimuli can “remember” pathways and simulate Boolean logic gates in computers, connect with external sensors, and communicate with each other. The team envisions a future of bio-supercomputers capable of parsing massive databases to identify new therapeutics for diseases like Alzheimer’s or exceed current computers when augmented with machine learning.  

The possibility of biocomputing is exciting, but prompts thorny philosophical and ethical questions – can organoids become conscious? Are they considered sentient life? What would their role in society be? The vast majority of the brain’s molecular mechanisms and pathways are still shrouded in mystery. The biological origin of consciousness is entangled in emergent properties and quantum mechanics, and we still don’t know how it arises or at what state an organism (or organoid) is considered conscious. Perhaps we should first strive towards unlocking the underlying nature of the mind before replicating them on chips.