I would like to thank Christopher Grayson and Chavita Rooks for hosting such a unique tech meetup. It was interesting learning about the human brain and how technologies (especially AI) emulate it. I want to share my takeaways:
Let's start with the fact that Chavita Rooks is studying to be a neurosurgeon. Now add a passion for AI and an infectious laugh. All of this combined to be an information-rich and "not the normal" tech talk.
She began the conversation by introducing the concept that we now live in an age of consumer AI, and because of this, we must discuss ethics. People no longer Google; they ask ChatGPT or something similar. Business decisions are increasingly being made with AI in the loop.
🧠 How can AI ethics be compared to the human brain?
As humans, we've studied psychology, neurology, and neuroscience. We understand that when our brains malfunction, it can create false or distorted information, such as hallucinations, delusions, and confabulations. Chavita explained that AI systems, too, can create fabrications and hallucinations.
That’s why we need AI ethicists, machine learning experts, and deep learning engineers to approach their work like psychologists and doctors. Not just building AI, but also diagnosing, understanding, and healing it when things go wrong. Hot take: Data scientists are the pharmacists of AI. They clean up inaccuracies.
One of the starting points for ethical AI use is the "Human in the Loop" principle. The idea is that AI should assist, not replace, human judgment. We should think of AI as a companion, not a single source of truth.
🔄 Technology Emulating the Brain
Chavita did a fabulous job using metaphors to show how technology has evolved by mirroring the brain from older technology to modern AI.
She explained that neurons are nerve cells that communicate information throughout our body. When our neurons misfire, it causes epilepsy, seizures, and emotional imbalances.
If you think of a neuron as the ignition point for a signal in the brain, a spark plug is its mechanical counterpart. When your car's spark plug misfires, symptoms include the engine stuttering, shaking, and acceleration issues. Both are small but critical parts that can disrupt an entire system when they misfire.
🧭 Brain-Inspired Metaphors
A router emulates the thalamus, the brain’s central communication hub. Just as the thalamus routes sensory and motor signals throughout the brain, a router directs and filters internet traffic.
The temporal lobe governs how we process sound, language, and memory. Similarly, Large Language Models (LLMs) are trained to process language through pattern recognition learned from vast datasets.
The amygdala helps us process threats and emotional learning, especially through fear-based trial and error. This loosely resembles reinforcement learning in AI, where systems like autonomous vehicles learn by evaluating successful versus unsuccessful outcomes and adapting their behavior accordingly.
The occipital lobe is responsible for visual processing. If it's damaged, even if our eyes work, we can become blind or visually confused. Technology mirrors this with augmented reality (overlay visuals over the real world) and robots/drones (use visual sensors to navigate, recognize objects).
Algorithms can be compared to instincts. Algorithms are instructions for a program to automatically solve problems. Instincts are rapid responses without conscious thought. Built-in instructions for humans.
AI Resources
Mrs. Rook ended the talk by sharing some AI resources that she herself used to learn.
