Living Neurons Play Pong and Learn, Marking a Step Toward Synthetic Intelligence
Scientists have achieved a breakthrough in synthetic intelligence by training living neurons in a dish to play a game of Pong. Researchers at Cortical Labs developed a system called “DishBrain” that integrates neurons—grown from human stem cells and rodent embryos—into a simulated digital environment. Remarkably, these neurons demonstrated the ability to learn and adapt in real time, showing goal-directed behavior after just minutes of gameplay.
The neurons were placed on high-density multielectrode arrays that allowed them to receive feedback and control elements of the Pong game. The study suggests these neurons can engage in active learning when given closed-loop feedback, indicating a level of adaptability previously seen only in living organisms. This breakthrough hints at potential applications in creating advanced biological computation systems and opens up new possibilities for integrating biological intelligence with technology.
Kagan, B. J., Kitchen, A. C., Tran, N. T., Parker, B. J., Bhat, A., Rollo, B., Razi, A., & Friston, K. J. (2021). In vitro neurons learn and exhibit sentience when embodied in a simulated game-world. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.12.02.471005
