Symposium highlights societal implications of neuroscience
The brain is almost the only part of the body that is the same throughout life. Cells in the rest of the body organs are continuously exchanged. Simply put, your body renews itself every 12 years. Sophie Scott, Professor and Director of the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London, opened the symposium by providing an overview of the brain's remarkable features. The brain exhibits extreme plasticity, with its connections constantly being reshaped. Your brain is formed by all your experiences and memories, and new information is integrated into existing ones. The perceptions of sensory input depend on our previous experiences.
Advanced diagnostics and large-scale research
At the symposium, leading scientists highlighted novel technologies used to elucidate the brain’s basic functions and what is on the horizon for diagnostics and novel treatments. Advanced diagnostics, including genomics, proteomics, and imaging, can today be used in combination to predict the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. In regenerative medicine, stem cell therapies are now being tested in clinical trials to treat different neurological diseases and damage. We also learned that basic, large-scale research providing maps of the brain at the cellular and molecular levels is now paving the way for the development of novel treatment strategies for brain tumours and other diseases.
The brain an AI
One striking insight, highlighted in several presentations, is how much of the brain’s capacity is used for controlling our bodies in interactions with our surroundings. Our learning and intelligence rely on our bodies. Our bodies are instrumental in our understanding of external forces, like gravity. Peter Gärdenfors, Professor of Cognitive Science at Lund University, pointed out that this aspect is important when comparing human and artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence is still almost entirely focused on language, numbers, and image pixels, and its inability to learn from a body's sensory experiences still hinders it from being human-like in many respects. Kristina Höök, Professor of Interaction Design at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, showed a few examples of how machine intelligence is increasingly becoming corporeal and how intelligent machines can interact with our human bodies in ways that may be used to design AI that can be ”a partner in our lived experience”.
Novel neurotechnology
One session was dedicated to Brain Computer Interfaces (BCIs). Today, it is possible to read the brain activity to control different robotic tools. This amazing development helps people with paralysis interact with the world and communicate. There are also developments that enable the creation of artificial eyes that send electrical impulses to the brains of blind people, enabling a basic level of vision. Novel neurotechnology, where the mind “is leaving the body and devices enter the mind from the outside”, raises several ethical questions. From a technological standpoint, neurotechnology can be integrated into consumer products such as headphones, which will be able to detect different cognitive and emotional states of the brain. Sean Pauzauskie, Neurologist at the UCHealth system and medical director at The Neurorights Foundation, explained some of these issues and how the Foundation is working to leverage neurotechnologies for social good and safeguard them from misuse. Their work aims to provide clear definitions of what brain data is, strengthen consent, and regulate the use of neurotechnologies, especially in consumer-level products.
A few take-home messages from the symposium
- Technology is driving a rapidly increasing understanding of the brain and also provides tools for diagnostics, treatments and medical support.
- Specialised artificial intelligence has leveraged science in many ways, and generative AI has undergone significant development in handling language. However, several factors hinder the development of more general, human-like AI, one of which is the lack of a connected body, which means it is not corporeal in the way that characterises the intelligence of humans and animals.
- The ethical issues related to brain-computer interfaces and neurotechnology need to be discussed to enable the implementation of relevant policies and regulations.
Upcoming symposia
The topic for next year’s The Future of Life Science is not yet set, but if you are interested in attending and contributing to a symposium that discusses societal implications of life science and are eager to learn new perspectives of science rather than getting all answers, please get in touch with Ylva Williams to register your interest in attending upcoming symposia.
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