Zap // Universidade de Zhejiang; BLAK MYTH: Wukong / Game Science
The supercomputer “Wukong”, or “Monkey Darwin”, was named after the mythological figure who inspired, among others, the character Goku from the Dragon Ball Z series
If this neuromorphic machine is real, it would be a milestone for neuroscience — and a test of the limits of what artificial intelligence can and cannot replace, possibly bringing us closer to the Singularity.
Scientists at the National Brain-Computer Intelligence Laboratory at Zhejiang University in China recently carried out a surprising announcement: they will have created a supercomputer modeled after the brain of a monkey.
The researchers named the supercomputer “Wukong”, ou “Racaco Darwin”in homage to the mythological figure who inspired, among others, the famous character Goku from the Dragon Ball Z series.
According to someone from the university, the machine was designed to imitate the brain of a monkey Macaqueoften used in scientific research due to its human-like intelligence and cognition.
“This is a step towards a Most advanced Artificial Intelligence and similar to the brain”, say the researchers.
Wukong integrates more than two billion artificial neurons in a neural network, which simulate biological neurons when they communicate with each other through electrical impulses, known as “spikes”.
The supercomputer also includes 100 billion synapses — the connections between two neurons, which allow this “communication” through the transmission of signals, explains .
This makes Wukong potentially the largest neuromorphic computer, that is, brain-like, of the world. By imitating biological circuits, these machines achieve remarkable energy efficiency.
While traditional supercomputers consume several megawatts of power, the Wukong runs on around 2,000 wattscomparable to the consumption of a common household appliance.
According to some scientists, increasingly advanced neuromorphic computers could lead us to the so-called Singularity — the hypothetical moment in which Artificial minds surpass human intelligence.
Understand in detail how the smallest elements of our brain work is invaluable; could help unravel diseases such as Alzheimer’s or cancer and create life-saving medicines.
If Wukong really exists, which is a big unknownthis advance represents an important milestone in understanding how the human brain works, says Cory Millerassociate professor of Psychology at the University of California, San Diego.
“We know the big questions, such as the interaction between systems and the flow of information in the brain”, says Miller. “But circuit detailsif the calculations at the cellular level, Then the situation gets complicated. This is the true horizon of investigation.”
Miller, however, maintains reservations about the veracity of this achievement. “It is generally hard to get real data from China about experiences of this kind”, he explains. “We’ve seen this before, so we should approach these advances with some skepticism”.
