A real brain on a chip!Scientists awarded £3m for project to use...

A real brain on a chip!
Scientists awarded £3m for project to use brain stem cells to power artificial intelligence

Human brain stem cells will be grown on microchips...
By

Maia Snow

• 04:00, 1 FEB 2021

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Scientists at Loughborough University have been awarded more than £3m to work on a project which will see human brain stem cells used to power artificial intelligence (AI) devices.

The project, called Neu-ChiP, will show how neurons - the brain's information processors - can be used to increase a computer's capacity to learn information.

The use of these 'neurons' will also 'dramatically' cut energy use.

The international project is a collaboration between the chemistry department at Loughborough University, Aston University and institutions in the UK, France, Spain, Switzerland and Israel.

Scientists at the universities will grow human brain stem cells on microchips and attempt to determine whether they can be taught to solve problems.

It is hoped this will lead to advances in 'machine learning' technology.

AI isn't all robots and science fiction, the technology is used more in day-to-day life than you might expect - with it featuring in everything from healthcare, finance, self-driving vehicles, speech recognition and even recommending films through streaming services, such as Netflix.

As well as developing new AI technology, the project is also expected to produce insights into how the brain works, which could also be used to develop stem cell-based treatments.

Dr Paul Roach, who is leading the study, said: "This work really brings together an exciting interdisciplinary team of researchers to build on our individual strengths and interests.

"The focus of this project is on revolutionising the way we analyse information using specifically designed complex living neuronal circuits."

Professor David Saad, of Aston University, said: "Our aim is to harness the unrivaled computing power of the human brain to dramatically increase the ability of computers to help us solve complex problems.

"We believe this project has the potential to break through current limitations of processing power and energy consumption to bring about a paradigm shift in machine learning technology.
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