We came across a number of posts on X (formerly Twitter) claiming that research is being carried out in Australia to combine human brain cells with AI. Some versions of this claim state that Australia is controlled by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and intends to create a new race of advanced humanoids through this research.
Are researchers looking into merging human brain cells with AI?
A research team led by Monash University in Melbourne, Australia has indeed received funding through Australia’s National Intelligence and Security Discovery Research Grants Program to research merging human brain cells with AI.
The research focuses on understanding the lifelong continual learning abilities of human brain cells in order to create machine intelligence that could learn throughout its “lifetime”. This entails embedding lab-grown brain cells into silicon chips, teaching these cells to perform “goal-directed tasks” and creating “programmable biological computing platforms” with continual learning capabilities.
According to Associate Professor Adeel Razi, who is leading the research project, human brains are proficient at continual lifelong learning which, among others, allows us to learn new skills and apply existing knowledge to new tasks. However, AI lacks in this aspect and neglects to apply information learned from previous tasks when it starts new ones.
Therefore, by leveraging the skills of human brain cells, the researchers hope to create machines that could gain new skills without forgetting old ones, adapt to changes and use information learned previously for new tasks while also preserving limited resources such as computing power and energy.
Hence, it is true that Australia has funded a research program to look into merging human brain cells with AI.
However, contrary to the claims on X, there is no evidence to suggest that the research is intended to create a new race of advanced humanoids. Instead, the researchers intend to develop improved AI machines. According to the researchers, the new generation of applications of machine learning such as self-driving cars will need machine intelligence that can learn continually.
Additionally, there is also no evidence to suggest that the WEF has any control over Australia or the research program on merging human brain cells with AI. WEF is a non-governmental organisation and lacks the ability to direct governments to follow its orders.
Further, Monash University has openly stated that it received a grant of almost $600,000 AUD through the Australian National Intelligence and Security Discovery Research Grants Program. The grant program aims to support research that “deepens understanding of emerging science and technology and addresses intelligence and national security interests, and facilitates innovation and develops national security and intelligence capacity”. There is no mention of the WEF’s involvement in the project.
Therefore the claim that Australia – under the WEF’s control – has announced plans to merge human brain cells with AI in order to create a new race of advanced humanoids is likely false.
