The Russian biotechnology company Neiry, in collaboration with scientists from Moscow State University, developed a system that allows rats to answer questions using a keyboard with "yes" and "no" buttons. A machine learning algorithm processes the questions, according to the company's press release. The scientists implanted an invasive neural interface in the brain of a rat named Pythia, which stimulates specific areas of the animal's brain. The neural interface works in tandem with an algorithm that has access to online information. The rat is verbally asked any question, for example, about physics or history, and the algorithm converts it into "hints"—electrical signals that stimulate specific areas of the rat's brain via electrodes. The animal perceives these signals as sensations in its body. If a question requires a "yes" answer, it experiences one sensation, and if a "no" answer, it experiences another. Pythia receives a reward for the correct answer. According to the scientists, the experiment is designed to test the performance of the electrodes and electronics they developed, as well as to demonstrate the concept of merging natural and artificial intelligence.
Other experiments with implanted neural interfaces are already involving humans. For example, Synchron recently reported that its neural interface helped a 64-year-old man with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis learn to use the Alexa virtual assistant. Using his thoughts, the patient was able to select menu items that launch various smart home control functions: turning lights on and off, playing music and videos, making video calls, and even shopping online. And 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.
