Episode
EP 37: Neurons: Future of AI Processing
- Podcast
- Data Science With Sam
- Published
- Apr 19, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1777
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://rss.com/podcasts/data-science-with-sam/3006412
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Summary
What if the next generation of computers wasn't made of silicon — but of living human neurons? Not simulated neurons, not artificial neural networks inspired by biology, but actual brain cells grown in a lab, connected to electrodes, and used to process information. That's not science fiction anymore. It's happening right now at FinalSpark, a Swiss startup building the world's first remotely accessible biocomputing platform. In this episode, Sam talks with Dr. Ewelina Kurtys, a neuroscientist with a PhD in brain imaging and a postdoctoral researcher at King's College London, about how living neurons could revolutionise computing — and why they use one million times less energy than silicon-based AI hardware. ▸ WHAT YOU'LL LEARN ▪ How FinalSpark was founded in 2014 by Fred Jordan and Martin Kutter — and why they pivoted from digital AI to biological computing when they realised the energy and cost problem was unsolvable with silicon ▪ Why 20 watts powers the human brain while silicon-based AI requires megawatts — and what that means for AI's sustainability crisis ▪ The difference between neurons as processors (not power sources) — a crucial distinction most people get wrong ▪ Why biological neural networks learn continuously while digital systems require full model updates — and what that means for energy efficiency ▪ The honest challenge: nobody yet knows exactly how neurons encode information — the biggest scientific hurdle in biocomputing right now ▪ How the I/O interface works: electrodes measuring neural spikes, analog-to-digital converters, researchers writing Python code to control neurons remotely ▪ The remote access breakthrough: researchers in Tokyo or Bristol can log in and control living neurons in Switzerland in real time via browser ▪ Why neurons won't out…