Presenter
Dr Brett J. Kagan, Chief Scientific Officer at Cortical Labs
Dr Brett J. Kagan is the Chief Scientific Officer at Cortical Labs. Cortical Labs is a multidisciplinary deep-tech startup looking at integrating hardware, software, and synthetic biology approaches to explore how to harness intelligence from neurons on a chip. Dr Kagan has a PhD in neuroscience focusing on stem cell therapy along and completed post-doctoral work in bioinformatics and regenerative medicine. Recent work includes developing the first real-time closed-loop demonstration of in-vitro intelligence in a simplified pong-game environment, along with working to better test and understand these systems, including exploring ethical approaches to the development and use of these systems.
Summary:
- 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.
