How Far Will AI-Assisted Human Brains Take Us?
Image: Depositphotos enhanced by CogWorld
The most intelligent creation, the human brain, is unrivaled in its cognitive abilities. It’s capable of processing vast amounts of information quickly, making complex decisions, evaluating, learning, adapting to new situations and so much more. Further, it has a high degree of plasticity, enabling it to reorganize and adapt to environmental changes such as injuries.
A key factor that sets the human brain apart from other animal brains is its size and complexity. The human brain has a significantly larger cerebral cortex, the part of the brain responsible for conscious thought, than other animals, providing for more advanced cognitive functions. Language development and abstract thinking are also unique to humans, demonstrating the brain's remarkable abilities.
So, can we replicate the human brain? My Python classes on Machine Learning (ML) have been trying to teach me how to train a computer to behave like a human but current ML techniques are far from achieving the level of performance of a human brain. So, while there is enormous hype around Artificial Intelligence (AI) and ML technologies like ChatGPT, they are, at best, scratching the surface and can only attain a fraction of the performance of the human brain.
I imagine a world where I don’t have to type to search. Instead, the computer would automatically know what I am thinking about and present the search results to me proactively. Plus, I firmly believe that technologies like AI should be built for human goodness as the first use case instead of for financial gains. When I see special children struggling with the basics of academic learning, I wonder if AI can be their helping hand.
Since I live in Silicon Valley, I have always come across new technologies and apps that are appealing and intriguing, but when I came across Axoft, nothing caught my fancy as much as the concept of replicating or altering the human brain. I learned about Axoft from seasoned Silicon Valley entrepreneur and investor B.V. Jagadeesh. I had an impromptu conversation with him when I recently visited the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA. He mentioned his son, Akshay Jagadeesh, who is a post-doctoral researcher at Harvard Medical School Boston doing research on brain functionality, such as attention.
Axoft is creating a new bioinspired material that mimics the soft tissues of the brain. This vastly reduces implant drift and long-term damage while maintaining an ultra-high density of electrodes. This provides long-term communication with the nervous system through precise, single-neuron resolution.
Along the same lines, I came across Elon Musk’s Neuralink, which is developing cutting-edge Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) technology. The company's ultimate goal is to create a direct connection between human brains and computers, allowing for faster and more efficient communication between the two.
Neuralink's technology involves implanting tiny, flexible threads into the brain that are connected to a small device outside the brain. The threads are thinner than human hair and are inserted using a robot to minimize damage to brain tissue. Once in place, the threads can detect neural activity and transmit this information to the link, which can then be used to control various devices or communicate directly with other brains.
To accomplish the brain-computer link, Neuralink is developing two key products: brain implant technology and a robot surgeon. The neural implant’s role is to sense the signals coming from the neurons in the brain all the way to transmitting that data wirelessly to a smart device. The robot surgeon is needed to implant the neural implant in users. I learned that besides the fact that this implant requires micron-level precision, we have a shortage of neurosurgeons in the world. Hence, we need to develop robo-surgeons to perform the implant operation.
As I was learning and contemplating about Axoft and Neuralink, I wondered if there’s got to be a third part of their product stack: AI as a complete external brain. Imagine disabled children carrying a brain device in their backpacks to assist them in daily functionality. Or imagine blind people being able to ‘see’ via an external brain device. It would be impressive to see these new-age devices help people with various injuries and neurological disorders.
But wait a minute! How about moral and ethical implications? Is it right to surface out all the thoughts in the human brain? Some thoughts shouldn’t see the light of day outside the brain boundary! And what if the external ‘brain’ device gets hacked? You can almost predict that cyber attackers will push their hardest to take control of the external ‘brain’ or link that will receive the brain signals. The hackers will then aim to take control of human beings and make them do what they want - share sensitive information like passwords, for example. Any brain-related product will have to have a security-first design methodology.
Next, I was wondering what kind of skills would be needed for jobs at brain-chip interface companies. It seems like there will be a demand for multi-disciplinary skillsets, ranging from material researchers to biologists to device designers and software engineers. Hence, these companies will not only hire software engineers, but also mechanical engineers, designers, machinists and pathologists for example.
The human brain, with all its complex functions and capabilities, has evolved to be incredibly efficient, with neurons continuously communicating with each other to process information. This efficiency is essential to the brain's ability to handle complex tasks and to learn from experience.
Emulating the human brain forms a nascent yet fascinating field of research. The potential applications for this technology are vast and could include everything from treating neurological disorders to enhancing human intelligence and communication. However, the development of brain-computer interfaces is still in its early stages. Many technical, ethical, and security-related challenges need to be overcome before it can become a mainstream technology. If these interfaces do become a reality, we will likely be surrounded by an AI-assisted race or perhaps an AI-controlled race. Either way, we are in for a technological breakthrough with far-reaching consequences. Brace yourself!
Gurnoor Singh Dang | LinkedIn
Gurnoor Singh Dang is a speaker, writer, and CEO. He has been awarded the Medal of Honor by Keith Krach, former US Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, for his work towards youth empowerment. Gurnoor has published articles on new technologies like Artificial Intelligence in Cognitive World and other journals. He has been an invited speaker at conferences such as IASF. He has created a chat show and interviewed over 15 celebrities including Cisco's former CEO John Chambers, UC Davis Chancellor Gary May, UChicago Dean John Boyer, Wall Street Investor Cathie Wood, Oscar Winner AR Rahman, Tech Mahindra CEO CP Gurnani, and Indian Consul General Dr. TV Nagendra Prasad. Gurnoor is the Founder and CEO of an academy under which he teaches free Python and math classes every week to kids and adults. He is currently working on his book focused on developing kids as tomorrow’s thought leaders.