Brain Cells in a Dish as an Information Processing Device

What is intelligence? How can we create a generally intelligent system? The former question has remained contentious since humans first asked it, while the latter has inspired countless science fiction stories. Recent exciting advancements offer pathways to empirically investigate – and perhaps one day answer – both questions. Recently, we managed to implement a real-time closed-loop system to simulate a simplified version of the classic arcade game, ‘Pong’. This has provided compelling insights both into the potential value of these systems for wider applications, and the usefulness of using these approaches to better understand how brains may function. This talk will cover these recent advancements in using biological neurons as in vitro intelligent systems along with some interesting implications learned along the way. Finally, the next steps that need to be considered from a scientific, social, and ethical perspective will also be explored.Understanding how neurons work together to express intelligent information processing.