DishBrain Team from Australia Clinches a Whopping $600,000 Grant for Fusing AI with Human Brain Cells
July 21 2023
Monash University and Cortical Labs, the creators of DishBrain (brain cells capable of playing the video game Pong), have been granted $600,000 by the Office of National Intelligence (ONI) and defence for their research into merging human brain cells with artificial intelligence. The funding will be used to develop better AI machines that imitate the learning capacity of biological neural networks to overcome the challenge of ‘catastrophic forgetting’ in AI. The research aims at enhancing machine learning for self-driving cars, autonomous drones, and delivery robots, among other technologies. This progression could eventually surpass purely silicon-based hardware and will have implications in several fields including planning, robotics, brain-machine interfaces, and advanced automation.
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What does it mean?
- Catastrophic forgetting: The abrupt forgetting of previously learned information upon learning new information. It is a major hurdle in neural networks and AI design.
- Biological neural networks: The network of neurons (nerve cells) in a biological organism, including humans. It is used here to refer to the complex network of interconnected neurons in the brain that researchers are trying to mimic with AI systems.
- Silicon-based hardware: Most electronics and computer systems are built using silicon-based hardware because silicon is an efficient conductor of electricity. In this context, silicon-based hardware refers to traditional computer systems.