Russian biotech company Neiry, together with scientists from Moscow State University, developed a system that allows a rat to answer questions using a keyboard with “yes” and “no” buttons. A machine learning algorithm is responsible for processing the questions, the company’s press release reports . Scientists implanted an invasive neural interface into the brain of a rat named Pythia, which stimulates certain areas of the animal’s brain. The neural interface works in tandem with an algorithm that has access to information on the Internet. The rat is asked any question verbally, for example, about physics or history, and the algorithm converts it into “hints” — electrical signals that stimulate certain areas of the rat’s brain through electrodes. The animal perceives them as sensations in the body. If the question needs to be answered “yes,” it experiences one sensation, and if “no,” another. Pythia receives a reward for the correct answer. According to the scientists, the experiment is designed to test the quality of the electrodes and electronics they created, as well as to demonstrate in action the concept of combining natural and artificial intelligence.
Other experiments with implanted neural interfaces are already involving people. For example, the company Synchron recently reported that the neural interface it created helped a 64-year-old man with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis learn to use the virtual assistant Alexa. The patient could use his mind to select menu items that launch various smart home control functions: turn on and off the lights, start playing music and videos, make video calls, and even shop online. And the company Neuralink reported that a patient with an implanted neural interface learned to play Counter-Strike 2 and create 3D objects in a computer-aided design system.