As artificial intelligence software and advanced computers revolutionize modern technology, some researchers see a future where computer programmers leap from silicon to organic molecules. Scientists with Johns Hopkins University are investigating the possibility of "biocomputers" – programs modelled from organic molecules such as human DNA or proteins – unlocking new insights on human biology and advancing the processing power of future tech. Much of these technological anticipations derive from something called "organoids," which are lab-grown tissues resembling fully grown organs, sharing similar biological complexities to tissues comprised in kidneys, lungs and brain cells. Organoids, which have become more prominent in labs over the last two decades, currently offer scientists a more ethical alternative to animal or human testing, mimicking basic functions of cells and advancing scientific understandings towards how those cells operate. Most recently, scientists with Johns Hopkins have been assessing the nature of "brain organoids," which are orbs the size of a pen dot that mirror the basic neural functions of learning and remembering in the human brain, according to a news release.

Organoids are lab-grown tissues that resemble organs. These three-dimensional structures, usually derived from stem cells, have been used in labs for nearly two decades, where scientists have been able to avoid harmful human or animal testing by experimenting on the stand-ins for kidneys, lungs and other organs. Brain organoids don't actually resemble tiny versions of the human brain, but the pen dot-size cell cultures contain neurons that are capable of brainlike functions, forming a multitude of connections. Scientists call the phenomenon "intelligence in a dish." This magnified image shows a brain organoid produced in Hartung's lab.

For decades, the field of artificial intelligence (AI) has aimed to create computers that have the capabilities of a human brain. Now, a new study proposes a'new frontier' for computing called'organoid intelligence' (OI) that could surpass the learning capabilities of any machine. OI uses organoids – tiny lab-grown tissue resembling fully grown organs – as a form of'biological hardware' and potentially a smarter alternative to the silicon chips in AI. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore think a'biocomputer' powered by an organoid made up of millions of human brain cells could be developed within our lifetime. While previous studies have questioned whether a biocomputer would cross an'ethical line', the team says organoids would be used in a safe and'ethically responsible manner'.

An amazing aspect of living in The Fourth Industrial Era is that we are at a new inflection point in bringing emerging technologies to life. We are in an era of scientific breakthroughs that will change the way of life as we currently know it. While there are many technological areas of fascination for me, the meshing of biology with machine is one of the most intriguing. I have highlighted two frontiers of "mind-bending" developments that are on the horizon, Neuromorphic technologies, and human-machine biology. Human computer interaction (HCI) was an area of research that started in the 1980s and has come a long way in a short period of time.

Researchers say they've successfully created a more powerful computer-like human cell that could eventually be used to help monitor one's health or even fight against cancer and other illnesses. Using the gene-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9, researchers were able to model a human cell after a computer and make what they are referring to as a'program scalable circuits.' 'This cell computer may sound like a very revolutionary idea, but that's not the case," said Martin Fussenegger, Professor of Biotechnology and Bioengineering at the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering at ETH Zurich in Basel. 'The human body itself is a large computer. Its metabolism has drawn on the computing power of trillions of cells since time immemorial.'

This intelligence, the Artificial General Intelligence, shall solve all our problems and the entire world is working on it. But the current Artificial Intelligence is mostly at the level of robotics. Fact is, that problem awareness is increased, we have recognized that we need to bundle our capacities to create something that helps mankind to find solutions against the most urgent problems, resource scarcity, world hunger, diseases, and social turmoil. In search of that Super Computer, the Super Intelligence, we forget that our planet has 7 billion super intelligences walking around and they are all waiting to give a meaning to their lives and bring in their cognitive-emotional talents: Humans. We try to walk with crutches whilst we already sit in a Formula 1 racing car.