Scientists are once again asking if they ‘could’ rather than ‘should’: A team of researchers at the “biological computing startup” Cortical Labs has taught lab-grown brain cells to play Pong. By spreading about 800,000 neurons onto a silicon chip and firing electrical signals at them, the cells were able to demonstrate “apparent learning within five minutes.” according to the scientists involved (opens in new tab). That's how Deus Ex started, you know.
The scientists call their silicon/neuron conglomerate DishBrain. And to be clear, the process was a bit more abstract than just placing a petri dish in front of a copy of Video Olympics for the Atari 2600. DishBrain wasn't responding to visual inputs like you or I, but rather to a series of alternating electrical signals that simulated a round of Pong, which the researchers then converted into a visual representation of the game.
Here’s how it worked: Whenever DishBrain hit the ball, it received a predictable electrical response. Whenever it missed, the signal fired randomly. The cells weren’t consciously aware that they were playing a game. Instead, by naturally adapting so that it received predictable responses more often, DishBrain adapted—or, more poetically, learned—Pong. Most exciting to the researchers, it learned quickly, in real time, and with very little energy required.
Also, DishBrain was apparently pretty bad at it, so the Pong esports community can rest easy. Still, its success rate was noticeably better than random chance, which makes it more skilled than me. The cells were actually adapting to get better at Pong. It may seem normal compared to the skills other AIs have displayed in games like chess, checkers, and so on. (opens in new tab)and, uh, overcooked (opens in new tab), but these projects weren't working with real organic brain cells. If we want our dark cyborg future to arrive, it has to start by just being 'half right' at Pong.
The team behind DishBrain says their next test will be to examine the effects of alcohol on the neurons’ gambling activity, which makes it seem like they’re just laughing right now. But the intended goal of the project is to help treat neurodegenerative diseases, and there are a number of such conditions — such as insanity (opens in new tab)– which can be caused or exacerbated by excessive alcohol consumption, so it makes sense. Still, you can’t shake the feeling that this is how a million cheap science fiction paperback installments start, can you?
