Scientists in China have made a significant breakthrough in artificial intelligence (AI) by reportedly creating a robot which is powered by a lab-grown, artificial brain. This brain-on-chip technology reportedly utilises human stem cells to develop a simplified brain-like structure that controls the robot. According to a report by the South China Morning Post, researchers were successfully able to program the robot to perform basic tasks such as avoiding obstacles and grasping objects using a neural interface chip. This innovation represents a significant leap forward in brain-computer interfaces (BCI), a field aiming to merge brain activity with external computing power. BCI has become a trending topic, with companies like Elon Musk’s Neuralink introducing implantable chips for controlling devices with the mind. Researchers at Tianjin University said that it is “the world’s first open-source brain-on-chip intelligent complex information interaction system” and may lead to the development of brain-like computing. In a statement to the state-owned Science and Technology Daily, the vice president of Tianjin University, Ming Dong said: “[This] is a technology that uses an in-vitro cultured ‘brain’ – such as brain organoids – coupled with an electrode chip to form a brain-on-chip,” which encodes and decodes stimulation feedback. The research at Tianjin University holds promise for the creation of a new era of hybrid human-robot intelligence.

Full report : Chinese researchers develop AI-powered robot with ‘artificial’ brain.