Presenters
Randal Koene, Carbon Copies
Randal has had a dream of unraveling the blueprint of the human brain. He studied physics in Amsterdam, mastered in AI, and did a computational neuroscience PhD. He taught about the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus at Boston University as a postdoc. Randal currently lives in San Francisco where he spearheads a nonprofit dedicated to advancing whole brain emulation….
Q&A Takeaways:
- Our experience of the universe is completely dependent on the brain
- The ethics of whole brain emulation and the process of getting there are important to consider
- One may wonder what the development of BCI or whole brain emulation looks like under a Chinese ethical framework
- Whole brain emulation represents a paradigm shift, similar to the evolutionary leap of having brains to begin with
- Whole brain emulation is near-term in a historical context
- In the near term, understanding the basic brain circuitry is going to be extremely interesting even though it doesn’t quite qualify as neurotech
- Its difficult to define what is invasive. For instance, MRI fields likely affect the brain if done for long durations.
- Brain computer interfaces probably need direct neuronal contact to be practical
- The hippocampal brain prosthetic shows promise even though it is currently quite primitive
- Neuropharmacology, neurofeedback, brain training, diagnostics, brain computer interface, and neuroprosthetics are very close to development.
- High resolution recording of neural activity is lagging in terms of progress
- Our ability to physically render neuron connections and organization is progressing extremely fast
- We need to understand the constraints the brain enforces upon itself which make its functions predictable, similar to how a computer is made up of analog components but has overarching rules that allow for absolute predictable behavior
- Often the extremes of technology are overhyped, either destruction or salvation, but the middling ground is a more likely reality
- The hippocampus, cerebellum, retina, and auditory cortex are currently being explored for brain prosthetics
- The Virtual Brain Project, headed by Randal, seeks to create an emulated brain so that it becomes possible to develop better methods of measurement and manipulation