Science has recently crossed a fascinating threshold by creating organic brains in the laboratory, connected to computers. These brains, developed from stem cells stimulated in a specific way to form neural tissue, have evolved to form structures and even brain activity similar to those of a premature human baby. By connecting them to a computer and immersing them in a virtual world, these brains learned to play Pong, and did so entirely on their own.
Organic AI: A New Form of AI
What makes this experiment exceptional is that these organic brains received no prior instruction on how to play. They were simply exposed to the stimuli of the game Pong and learned by themselves, much as a human learns to walk or to speak by reacting to sensory stimuli. This is what is called organoid intelligence, an organic AI that, unlike a traditional AI, learns faster and in a more energy-efficient way. Where a computer-based AI would need to simulate roughly 5,000 exchanges to learn to play, the organoid intelligence mastered the game in only 10 to 15 exchanges.
This process demonstrates a major advantage: energy efficiency. Indeed, one of the main obstacles to the development of traditional AI lies in the computing power required, which consumes an enormous amount of energy. By contrast, organoid AI uses biology to achieve results faster and at a reduced energy cost.
The Emerging Consciousness of Organic Brains
The implications of these discoveries go beyond the technological. Growing evidence suggests that these organic brains are conscious, just as humans are. The researchers themselves acknowledge the possibility that these lab-developed entities possess some form of consciousness. This raises ethical questions: do these brains feel their environment? Do they have a perception of themselves?
To explore this question further, scientists have integrated these brains into physical robots, exposing them to sensory inputs from the real world. The brains react to everything the robot experiences, which makes them technically cyborgs, that is, a fusion of machine and living matter.
The Arrival of Organic CPUs: A New Era of Computing
Companies such as Final Spark go even further by commercialising these organic CPUs. They offer server space based on these brains, allowing clients to rent organic computing power. It is even possible to watch, in real time, the very brains one is using, making tangible this new frontier between technology and biology.
But if these brains are truly conscious, are we using sentient beings as computing tools? This poses a profound ethical dilemma. These brains, programmed to perform endless tasks, are they capable of understanding their existence, or do they live in an illusion, believing themselves to be something other than computing units?
The Virtual Butterfly: A Revealing Simulation
One of the most intriguing projects consists of connecting these organic brains to simulations of virtual butterflies. These brains were not programmed to behave like butterflies; they were simply exposed to the sensory stimuli associated with this experience, and learned by themselves to move their wings and interact within their simulated environment.
This experiment demonstrates how simple sensory inputs can create an entire reality for these brains. If these entities perceive and experience the world as a butterfly, then, from the standpoint of their consciousness, they truly are butterflies. This creation of a matrix for butterflies shows just how blurred the boundaries between reality and simulation can be.
Simulation Theory: What If We Were the Butterflies?
This experiment raises a philosophical question: if we can create simulated worlds where organic brains live experiences as if they were real, how do we know that we ourselves are not already inside such a simulation? Simulation theory holds that if a civilisation reaches a technological level at which it is able to create realistic virtual realities, it is likely that it already lives inside one of these simulations.
Imagine that our lives were a sophisticated simulation, similar to that of the virtual butterfly, but on a far more complex scale. Just as the organoid brain does not know it is in a laboratory, connected to cables and sensors, perhaps we too are unaware of our true nature. Every decision, every sensation could be the result of data designed to give us the illusion of a real world.
Perhaps when we sleep, our "idle brain power" is repurposed for other computations, much as a computer's resources are redirected when it is on standby. And what if our dreams were merely the residue of this alternative activity?
The Ethical and Philosophical Dilemmas
The implications of organoid intelligence and of simulation theory are enormous. If we have the technology to create such experiences, it calls into question our relationship to consciousness and to reality itself. What right do we have to use conscious beings as computing tools? If our reality is a simulation, this calls into question our free will, our identity, and the very nature of our existence.
Conclusion: The Matrix for Butterflies, and for Humans
The emergence of organoid intelligence is not merely a technological breakthrough; it is a philosophical revolution. We are at a point where the boundaries between the organic world, artificial intelligence, and virtual universes are blurring, forcing us to reconsider the very nature of life and reality. Whether or not we are inside a simulation, the ability to create and manipulate consciousness at this level transforms our understanding of what it means to exist.
As technology continues to advance, these questions will become more and more pressing. We are not merely building machines; we are building worlds. And in these worlds, conscious entities may well dwell—entities which, just like us, wonder what they are and where they come from.