The "brain" of optical fibers
The technology of artificial brain cultivation has been developed
Researchers from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have developed a technology that, according to them, is capable of growing artificial "brains" very similar to human ones. (A popular retelling of the work, Optical fibers light the way for brain-like computing, can be read on the website of another participant, the Optoelectronics Research Center at the University of Southampton – VM.)
More precisely, scientists have discovered that an optical fiber made of chalcogenides (compounds of chalcogenes with more electropositive chemical elements – oxides, sulfides, selenides, tellurides) can create synapses (places of contact between two neurons or between a neuron and an effector cell receiving a signal) to connect with each other. This is exactly how it happens in our "gray matter". Chalcogenides are photosensitive compounds, they are usually used to make glass for photocopiers, and this allows fibers to process huge amounts of data.
The main feature of the discovery is that the memory effect can be both temporary and permanent, depending on the specific wavelength, duration and intensity of light. If such fibers are combined in a network, we will get a primitive version of a neuromorphic computer.
During the experiment, scientists used light with a wavelength of 532 nm to create a set of connections preceding the synapse, and 650 nm for the actual synapse of axons (a process of nerve fiber through which action potentials are transmitted) of artificial nerve cells. By adjusting the wavelength of light, as the experiment shows, scientists can depolarize or hyperpolarize (within the optical equivalent of electrical polarization) an artificial axon anywhere along the entire length of this formation.
A diagram from the article by Gholipour et al. Amorphous Metal-Sulphide Microfibers Enable Photonic Synapses for Brain-Like Computing,
published in the journal Advanced Optical Materials – VM.
This possibility makes, in a sense, the artificial system even more flexible than in the case of a real axon, which, in most cases, do not receive a large number of synapses (if at all) along the entire length.
The legendary man in the world of physics Stephen Hawking has repeatedly warned mankind about the dangers of artificial intelligence. "With the development of full–fledged artificial intelligence, the end of the human race will come," Hawking once remarked in an interview with the BBC. Although Hawking himself uses achievements in this field, for example, a speech apparatus, the physicist is panic-stricken about the development of AI technology and calls experiments like the discovery of Singaporean scientists "the greatest mistake of mankind."
More recently, Bill Gates also expressed disturbing thoughts about the potential danger of experiments to create artificial intelligence. "I am part of the camp of those who are concerned about the development of super-intelligence. At first, they will do a huge part of the work for us and will not be super-intelligent. This will be beneficial provided that control remains in our hands. However, after a few decades, artificial intelligence will become sufficiently developed to turn into a problem," Gates said.
Computers are becoming more powerful, but the human brain is still much smarter than a machine and is able to respond to many unusual situations. In particular, this problem has not yet allowed us to build a completely self-driving car. Researchers seeking to create artificial intelligence at the human level have yet to find a way to combine several fibers in the form of an artificial neural network, but a start has been made.
Of course, the presented invention is still far from the real neurosystem. At a minimum, it is unable to physically grow or shrink on demand, as happens with a limited amplitude in a living brain. On the other hand, this fiber–optic system can not only send millions of signals per second – more than organic neurons - but also send them at the speed of light, and it is possible, although doubtful, to do this with less energy per unit of contact.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru24.03.2015