This makes me a bit uneasy, I must say
A team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in Australia and the U.K. has taught a small mass of human brain cells to play the video game Pong…
The mass, which the researchers call a cyborg, was created by placing human stem cells on top of a micro-electric array, where they grew into brain cells. In their configuration, the cells can both stimulate other cells and read the activity of others around them. Electrical signals are sent to the array to tell them where the ball is located. If electrodes to the right of a cluster fire, for example, the brain cells know that the ball is to their left. The distance of the signal gives the cells information regarding frequency. As with real Pong, the paddle can only move left and right. And also like the real game, the goal is to move the paddle into the path of the ball.
The cyborg was taught to play the game in the same way as are humans—by playing the game repeatedly to learn how to move the paddle in ways that result in success. In this case, it was feedback in the form of electrical signals in the electrodes.
The researchers found that the system was able to learn how to play the game in about five minutes—significantly faster than artificial intelligence machines. They note that the skill level of the system was far lower than for humans or AI systems, however.
I’ll be even more impressed when it graduates to Mario Brothers.
I’d be interested in finding out how the cyborg responds to a dose of pot, legal or otherwise.
Could be worse, could have been a “third person shooter.”
We should probably put the mass of cells into the White House as President.
Not too surprising. If I understand correctly, the scientists created an experiment where neural cells exhibited the function of neural cells. This may be good news for spinal injury patients, and others suffering nerve damage as this research could lead to breakthroughs in growing and replacing damaged cells.
Even reading the summary at the link doesn’t quite give me an idea of what the positive / success signal is. The “unpredictable [Red] stimulus” when the ball is missed vs. the “predictable [Green] stimulus” when the ball is hit.
But it’s cool.
And scary. Both.
Adding chips to humans, they remain human.
Adding human cells to robot chips – do they become human?
The incentives are very interesting, and also fit into thoughts about The Mind Club as reviewed by Arnold Kling
https://www.econlib.org/library/columns/y2021/klingtheoriesofmind.html
The good tech lit about such topics seems to be growing faster than the tech is progressing – still no Hal 9000.
On a lighter note, I looked for and found a short (5m) parody called Star Drek, heard on Dr. Demento years ago. Relevant comment from the talking elevator:
“I’m fine, how are you…”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtZS8JAfNE4
Thanks, Rufus T. Firefly, for a suggestion about why researchers might be doing this. I’m not sure I’m convinced, however.
The human race is incapable of playing God. It is the height of hubris to imagine otherwise.
Just because we can do something doesn’t mean that we should. The potential positives are very likely to be greatly outweighed by the negatives.
I’m sure the ChiComs are interested in any technology that might lead to the creation of cyborgs. Nor are they alone.
The Australian and Austrian totalitarian authorities are merely the current western front runners of those equally inclined.
Cloning is a totalitarian’s wet dream.
When it starts playing chess, I’ll be seriously worried…
I was thinking the same as Tom Grey. Learning requires recognizing something as good or bad. You can be wrong about what is good or bad, but you need that signal. Otherwise, the game could be avoid being hit by the moving object.
Tom Grey,
Speaking of Dr. Demento and Star Trek parody songs, I have no idea why, but this song https://youtu.be/M1pzN3CgANE
popped into my head two days ago from far back in my childhood.
When humans become a spacefaring people, they will become not human so they might as well be cyborgs.
Humans are not going to become a spacefaring people without artificial gravity, as well as ways to deal with the extreme radiation in space. Solving those issues will allow humanity to remain human.
Why would this blob be interested in the game at all? Is there punishment? Reward?
I know, water for the rat in a Skinner Box But this thing?
I’ll be more impressed when it learns to play Super Mario Kart™ and invents its own form of cursing.
}}} The human race is incapable of playing God. It is the height of hubris to imagine otherwise.
Oh, we’re quite capable of **playing** God.
Succeeding in those efforts is, however, quite beyond us… But liberals are sure that “it just hasn’t been done right so far”…
When it inevitably fails, you can count on them to say, “He wasn’t REAAAAALY playing ‘God’…”