Cortical Labs Unveils CL1: World's First Commercial Biological Computer Using Human Brain Cells

World's first commercial biological computer is here, powered by human brain cells

In brief: An unconventional form of artificial intelligence is taking shape in a nondescript laboratory in Melbourne, Australia. Cortical Labs has unveiled CL1 - an AI computer that fuses real human brain cells with silicon hardware. Remarkably, it's been launched commercially as the "world's first commercialized biological computer." At first glance, the CL1 looks like a rather unconventional PC with a small, horizontal form factor. But that's where the similarity ends. Inside, the CL1 houses hundreds of thousands of lab-grown human neurons cultivated from stem cells derived from blood samples. These neurons form networks on a silicon "chip" and interface with a computer system, allowing them to receive data, process that information, and produce outputs through their neural firing patterns. The engineers describe these networks as an ever-evolving organic computer that learns quickly and flexibly. Brett Kagan, Cortical Labs' Chief Science Officer, explained to ABC News that the concept uses biological brain cells directly instead of trying to artificially recreate neural networks in code. This was crucial considering biological brains, unfortunately, remain the only systems with true generalized intelligence. While the CL1 isn't intended to replace cutting-edge AI for general tasks yet, its creators say the biological neurons could be useful for tasks such as medical research and ultra-low-power computing. The key advantage here is the rapid learning abilities of neurons, which are able to make intuitive inferences from limited data more quickly than current AI. The energy efficiency of biological neurons is another potential upside compared to the incredible power consumption of typical AI models. Kagan noted that CL1 operates on just a few watts. For now, it looks as if the computer is more of a platform that researchers and tech companies can rent to run their experiments before developing actually useful applications. You can rent these systems to run your own experiments. Cortical Labs is offering them as a "Wetware-as-a-Service" (WaaS), where customers can buy time on the chips and access them remotely like you'd with a cloud. They can also purchase units of the CL1 outright. Cortical Labs previously saw success in training neurons in a dish to play Pong back in 2022. Now, they're counting on innovators to leverage their creation in ways not yet imagined. However, not everyone is fully convinced by Cortical Labs' claims. Ernst Wolvetang of the University of Queensland, who spoke to ABC News, said that while he was impressed with the work, he cautioned that the company's 2D neuron layers are relatively simplistic compared to the intricate networks found in the human brain. Then there's the ethical can of worms surrounding the use of neurons, which are essentially part of the human brain. For example, what if these cells actually have some form of awareness? Cortical Labs isn't brushing those concerns aside. They're taking the risks of consciousness or sentience seriously by consulting bioethicist experts. As Kagan put it, they "don't want to create any suffering in a dish."

World's first 'body in a box' biological computer uses human brain cells with silicon-based computing

Cortical Labs said the CL1 will be available from June, priced at around $35,000. Australian biotech company Cortical Labs has introduced what it claims to be "the world's first code deployable biological computer," which combines human brain cells with traditional silicon-based computing. The system, known as CL1, was presented at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and is being explored for its potential applications in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. The CL1 consists of a silicon chip with lab-grown human neurons cultivated on its surface. These neurons are capable of responding to electrical signals, forming networks that process information similarly to a biological brain. The system is designed to allow two-way communication, where electrical impulses stimulate the neurons, and their responses are recorded and analyzed. To maintain the viability of the neurons, the CL1 is equipped with a life-support system that regulates temperature, gas exchange, and other necessary conditions. A notable aspect of the CL1 is its ability to learn and adapt to tasks. Previous research has demonstrated that neuron-based systems can be trained to perform basic functions, such as playing simple video games. Cortical Labs' work suggests that integrating biological elements into computing could improve efficiency in tasks that traditional AI struggles with, such as pattern recognition and decision-making in unpredictable environments. Cortical Labs says that the first CL1 computers will be available for shipment to customers in June, with each unit priced at approximately $35,000. The use of human neurons in computing raises questions about the future of AI development. Biological computers like the CL1 could provide advantages over conventional AI models, particularly in terms of learning efficiency and energy consumption. The adaptability of neurons could lead to improvements in robotics, automation, and complex data analysis. However, the scalability of this technology remains uncertain. Producing and maintaining neuron-based systems is significantly more complex than manufacturing traditional processors, and ensuring long-term stability poses additional challenges. Ethical concerns also arise from the use of human-derived brain cells in technology. While the neurons used in the CL1 are lab-grown and lack consciousness, further advancements in the field may require guidelines to address moral and regulatory issues. The prospect of integrating living cells with computational hardware prompts discussions about the boundaries of artificial intelligence and human-like cognition.

This $35,000 Computer Is Powered by Trapped Human Brain Cells

A company is selling what it calls the world’s first “code deployable biological computer.†Cortical Labs would like to sell you a brain in a box. It’ll cost about $35,000, and you can teach it to do all kinds of nifty things. If that’s out of your price range, you can sign up for its â€~Wetware-as-a-Service' and rent bio-computer processing power from a rack of living tissues welded to machines. It’ll be in the cloud. Cortical Labs has been working on this computer for six years and detailed many of its features in New Atlas. The computer is called the CL1, and the company is already taking orders with plans to ship them out later this year. The New Atlas article is built around a long interview with Cortical Labs's Chief Scientific Officer, Brett Kagan. He said that the CL1 is powered by lab-grown neurons that are placed on a planar electrode array. “Basically just metal and glass.†The lab-made hunk of brain is hooked up to 59 electrodes that create a stable neural network. This is all plugged into a “life-support unit†and hooked up to a proprietary software system. "We have pumps like the heart. Waste. Feeding reservoirs. Filtration units like the kidneys. And we have a gas mixer to take carbon dioxide, oxygen, and nitrogen," Cortical Labs CEO Hon Weng Chong told Reuters in a video walkthrough of the machine. The marketing of the CL1 on the Cortical Labs website is morbid. “Real neurons are cultivated inside a nutrient rich solution, supplying them with everything they need to be healthy,†the website says. “They grow across a silicon chip, which sends and receives electrical impulses into the neural structure.†And what’s the fate of this unholy melding of flesh and machine? “The world the neurons exist in is created by our Biological Intelligence Operating System (biOS),†Cortical Labs says. “It runs a simulated world and sends information directly to the neurons about their environment. As the neurons react, their impulses affect their simulated world.†And what are the applications for the wetware? Cortical Labs got an early version of the system to play Pong a few years ago. The pitch here is that the CL1 can match or exceed the performance of digital AI systems. “If you have 120 [CL1s], you can set up really well-controlled experiments to understand exactly what drives the appearance of intelligence, Kagan told New Atlas. “You can break things down to the transcriptomic and genetic level to understand what genes and what proteins are actually driving one to learn and another not to learn,†he said. “And when you have all those units, you can immediately start to take the drug discovery and disease modeling approach.†According to the Cortical Labs website, the CL1 is a “high-performance closed-loop system where real neurons interact with software in real time.†This “robust environment†can keep your wetware machine alive for up to 6 months. It’s also plug-and-play. The cloud version can support a wealth of USB devices. Cortical Lab is just one of the groups pushing the frontiers of nightmare science by teaching stuff to play Pong as they search for alternatives to digital LLMs. Last year, a team of researchers at the University of Reading published a paper describing how they’d taught an ionic electroactive polymer hydrogelâ€"a lump of gooâ€"to play Pong. The scientists said they were confident they could get the lump of goo to improve its Pong abilities if they figured out how to make it feel pain.

'Actual intelligence': Franken-PC debuts in Melbourne with a $35,000 price tag and claims of exceptional performance

The next step will be to build a biological neural network server stack Despite the unquestionably impressive advancements we've witnessed in recent years, AI is still lagging far behind human intelligence. While it can process vast amounts of data, recognize patterns, and generate responses at speed, it lacks true understanding and reasoning, and although it's getting better, the issue of hallucinations - when the AI makes stuff up - remains a problem. Two years ago, researchers from Johns Hopkins University in Australia, together with scientists at Cortical Labs in Melbourne, suggested that the answer to real, less artificial AI was organoids - computers built with human brain cells. Fast forward to today, and Cortical Labs has turned the theory into reality with the production of the world's first commercialized biological computer. The CL1, which will be manufactured to order but is available for purchase online (the option to buy time on the chips will also be offered), is a Synthetic Biological Intelligence (SBI). "Real neurons are cultivated inside a nutrient-rich solution, supplying them with everything they need to be healthy. They grow across a silicon chip, which sends and receives electrical impulses into the neural structure," the company says. The world the neurons exist in is created by Cortical Labs' Biological Intelligence Operating System (biOS) and "runs a simulated world and sends information directly to the neurons about their environment. As the neurons react, their impulses affect their simulated world. We bring these neurons to life, and integrate them into the biOS with a mixture of hard silicon and soft tissue. You get to connect directly to these neurons." By deploying code directly to the real neurons, the company claims the CL1 can solve today's most difficult challenges, "The neuron is self-programming, infinitely flexible, and the result of four billion years of evolution. What digital AI models spend tremendous resources trying to emulate, we begin with." "Today is the culmination of a vision that has powered Cortical Labs for almost six years," noted Dr. Hon Weng Chong, Founder and CEO of Cortical Labs. "However, our long-term mission has been to democratize this technology, making it accessible to researchers without specialized hardware and software. The CL1 is the realization of that mission. While today's announcement is incredibly exciting, it's the foundation for the next stage of innovation. The real impact and the real implications will come from every researcher, academic, or innovator that builds on top of it." A report from New Atlasclaims Cortical is constructing a "first-of-its-kind biological neural network server stack, housing 30 individual units that each contain the cells on their electrode array, which is expected to go online in the coming months." The site reports the company is aiming to have four stacks available for commercial use via a cloud system by the end of 2025. As for pricing, the CL1 will be surprisingly affordable. "The units themselves are expected to have a price tag of around US$35,000, to start with (anything close to this kind of tech is currently priced at €80,000, or nearly US$85,000)," New Atlas adds. For context, Apple's "best failure" the Lisa, which paved the way for the Macintosh and even Microsoft Windows, sold for $9,995.00 in January 1983 which, adjusting for inflation, works out to a comparable $32,500 today. Will the CL1 prove be as important to computing's future as the Lisa was? It's impossible to say, but for now its impact will largely depend on scalability, practical applications, and how well it integrates into existing AI and computing systems.

Weird New Computer Runs AI on Captive Human Brain Cells

Australian startup Cortical Labs has launched what it's calling the "world's first code deployable biological computer." The shoe box-sized device, dubbed CL1, is a notable departure from a conventional computer, and uses human brain cells to run fluid neural networks. In 2022, Cortical Labs made a big splash after teaching human brain cells in a petri dish how to play the video game "Pong." The CL1, however, is a fundamentally different approach, as New Atlas reports. It makes use of hundreds of thousands of tiny neurons, roughly the size of an ant brain each, which are cultivated inside a "nutrient rich solution" and spread out across a silicon chip, according to the company's website. Through a combination of "hard silicon and soft tissue," the company claims that owners can "deploy code directly to the real neurons" to "solve today's most difficult challenges." "A simple way to describe it would be like a body in a box, but it has filtration for waves, it has where the media is stored, it has pumps to keep everything circulating, gas mixing, and of course temperature control," Cortical Labs chief science officer Brett Kagan told New Atlas late last year. Whether it will actually prove useful remains to be seen, but Kagan is excited for scientists to get their hands on the tech. "There's so many different options," he told Australian broadcaster ABC News, suggesting it could be used for "disease modelling, or drug testing." "The large majority of drugs for neurological and psychiatric diseases that enter clinical trial testing fail, because there's so much more nuance when it comes to the brain -- but you can actually see that nuance when you test with these tools," Kagan told New Atlas. "Our hope is that we're able to replace significant areas of animal testing with this." For now, the company is selling the device as a way to train "biological AI," meaning neural networks that rely on actual neurons. In other words, the neurons can be "taught" via the silicon chip. "The only thing that has 'generalized intelligence'... are biological brains," Kagan told ABC. "What humans, mice, cats and birds can do [that AI can't] is infer from very small amounts of data and then make complex decisions." But the CL1 isn't about to disrupt the entire AI field overnight. "We're not here to try and replace the things that the current AI methods do well," Kagan added. Nonetheless, the approach could have some key advantages. For instance, the neurons only use a few watts of power, compared to infamously power-hungry AI chips that require orders of magnitude more than that. Apart from selling the CL1, Cortical Labs is also looking to sell compute via the cloud, using its own assembled racks of the unusual computers. In short, while it sounds like an exciting new take on conventional computers, Cortical Labs still has a lot to prove, especially when it comes to teaching neurons not unlike an AI. "I know where it's coming from, because it is clear that these human neuronal networks learn remarkably fast," University of Queensland biologist and stem cell research specialist Ernst Wolvetang told ABC. "At this stage I would like to reserve my judgement, because, learning Pong is one thing, but making complex decisions is another," he added.

This nightmarish $35K computer is powered by a lab-grown human brain

The biological computer system can stay alive for up to six months and is compatible with USB devices. An Australian company called Cortical Labs has developed a computer powered by lab-grown human brain cells, Gizmodo reports. The computer, known as CL1, is described as the world's first "code deployable biological computer" and is now available for pre-order -- for a price in the $35,000 range. Don't want to buy your own device? The company also offers "Wetware-as-a-Service" via which you can rent bio-computer processing power via the cloud. CL1 consists of lab-grown neurons grown on a glass-and-metal electrode array. They're connected to 59 electrodes, creating a stable neural network. The system is encased in a life support unit that keeps the neurons alive by mimicking the body's organ functions, including heart pumping, kidney-like waste filtration, and gas mixing of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen. According to Cortical Labs, the neurons are placed in a nutrient solution and receive their information from the company's Biological Intelligence Operating System (biOS), which creates a simulated world in which the neurons receive sensory input and produce responses that affect the environment. CL1 is designed as a high-performance closed loop, where neurons interact with software in real time. The system can stay alive for up to six months and is compatible with USB devices. Cortical Labs demonstrated an early version of the technology by teaching the system to play Pong. They claim that biological computers can rival or surpass digital AI systems, especially when it comes to understanding the basic mechanisms of intelligence. According to the company's Chief Scientific Officer, Brett Kagan, a network of 120 CL1 devices could give researchers insight into how genes and proteins affect learning. The technology can also be used in drug development and disease modeling by simulating neurological processes at the molecular level.

This $35,000 computer literally uses human brain cells

Summary Cortical Labs developed the CL1, the world's first code-deployable biological computer, using lab-grown human brain cells. The neurons in the CL1 run in the Biological Intelligence Operating System, which simulates a world for the neurons to live in. Neurons used in the CL1 can adapt to code, offering an advantage over traditional neural networks in dense data analysis. Just two years ago, Johns Hopkins University researchers estimated that a biocomputer, using human brain cells as the basis of computing, could be developed within our lifetime. Cortical Labs looks like it's speeding up that process. The Melbourne-based biotech firm revealed what it's calling the world's first code-deployable biological computer at MWC. It's called the CL1, and the company says it'll be available to researchers in June for around $35,000, according to The Independent. Related Steam's most popular game will boost your decision-making skills, says scientists Finally, an excuse to give your boss while gaming on the clock. Posts 2 How human neurons power the CL1 Don't worry -- Cortical Labs isn't scraping brain cells from actual humans for the CL1. The company says that the neurons are grown in a "nutrient-rich solution, supplying them with everything they need to be healthy" on top of a silicon chip. This creates a neural structure on top of the silicon, and the chip is able to send and receive electrical signals to and from the (real) neural network. Running on top of the hardware -- if you can call neurons "hardware" -- is Cortical's Biological Intelligence Operating System, or biOS. The company says that this operating system simulates a world for the neurons, and as the neurons react to code, the simulation will change accordingly. This combination of "hard silicon and soft tissue" creates a true neural network created from actual neurons, according to Cortical Labs. The company says everything about the CL1 is self-contained. You don't need any additional compute in order to use the system or external support to keep the neurons alive. It's a bit morbid, but the neurons will die eventually. Cortical Labs says the environment and simulated world in the CL1 can keep the neurons alive for up to six months. The CL1 is largely targeted at data scientists and AI researchers, and although the device is available for purchase, Cortical Labs is also offering it remotely. It offers researchers access to the Cortical Cloud, which allows you to deploy code remotely on an array of CL1 machines. Given the short lifespan of the neurons, there's an obvious question about the sustainability of this system, as Cortical Labs -- or independent researchers -- will need to consistently replace the machines, and potentially start from scratch. Cortical Labs claims that the adaptability of human neurons is one of the main advantages of the CL1 over a traditional neural network. As the neurons react to code, they can adapt and potentially speed up the process of learning in dense data analysis. The neurons for the CL1 are grown in a lab, but the idea of using human brain cells to speed up AI development is concerning. Cortical has to simulate a world for these lab-grown neurons to live in, and although human cells can lead to big technological advancements, they also come with ethical implications along the lines of HeLa cells. As Cortical's own research shows, the neurons show signs of sentience.

The world's first 'body in a box' biological computer costs $35,000 and looks both cool as hell plus creepy as heck

Here's one for you: when is a 'body in a box' not as macabre as it sounds? Simple -- when it's a tech startup. Wait! Put the turn-of-the-millennium trench coat and sunglasses combo down! Let me explain. The CL1 is described as "the world's first code deployable biological computer" according to the splashy website, incorporating human brain cells in order to send and receive electrical signals (via The Independent). These cells hang out on the surface of the computer's silicon chip, and the machine's Biological Intelligence Operating System (or biOS for short -- cute), allows users to wrangle the neurons for a variety of computing tasks. Organic hardware like this for research purposes isn't new -- for just one example, FinalSpark's Neuroplatform began offering rentable 'minibrains' last year. The neurons central to the CL1 are lab-grown, cultivated inside a nutrient rich solution and then kept alive thanks to a tightly temperature controlled environment working alongside an internal life support system. Under favourable conditions, the cells can survive for up to six months. Hence, the project's chief scientific officer Brett Kagan pitching it "like a body in a box." Should you be so inclined to pick up your own surprisingly fleshy, short-lived computer, you can do so from June...for $35,000. Now, I know what you're thinking -- not because you're actually living life in a Matrix-style pod, but purely because I'm asking the same question: Why? First, a smidge more background on this brain box, which is the latest project from Cortical Labs, and was unveiled this week at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. We've covered this Melbourne-based company before, with highlights including that time their team coaxed brain cells in a petri dish to learn Pong faster than AI. That lattermost experiment is the CL1's great grandparent, with continued scientific interest fostered by the hope that 'wetware' like lab-grown brain cells could give robotics and AI a serious leg-up. Whereas traditional AI can play something like the theatre kid favourite of 'yes, and' but totally lacks any true understanding of context, the lab-grown neurons could potentially learn and adapt. Furthermore, the lab-grown cells are apparently much more energy efficient compared to the power demands of AI using more traditional, non-biological computers. Turns out the old noggin cells are still showing that new-fangled silicon a trick or two. Who would have thought? However, there's no avoiding the question of ethics: what are these brain cells experiencing, and is it anything like sentience -- or suffering? Perhaps my questions verge on the hyperbolic, but my own osseous brain box can do nothing but wonder.