The Dawn of Synthetic Biological Intelligence is here; CL1 from Cortical Labs merges living neurons with cutting-edge AI technology; A revolutionary cyborg is poised to reshape artificial intelligence, medical research, and digital innovation
Introduction
Yes, you read that correctly—and no, this isn't clickbait. The team at Australia's Cortical Labs has achieved what many have only dreamed of: they've connected living neurons to a computer, creating the first true, living cyborg.
As the team from Cortical Labs explains, "A neuron is self-programming, infinitely flexible, and the result of four billion years of evolution. We start with what digital AI models spend enormous resources trying to emulate."
Currently known as Synthetic Biological Intelligence (SBI) and dubbed CL1, this cyborg might not resemble the Terminator, but the step taken by Cortical Labs is monumental—comparable to the invention of the wheel or man's landing on the moon.
Officially launched in Barcelona on March 2, 2025, the CL1 is set to disrupt and completely change the game for science and medical research.
What is CL1 exactly?
Programmable organic neural networks, born on a silicon chip and existing in the digital world, essentially form an evolving organic computer that learns so quickly and flexibly that it completely surpasses silicon-based AI chips used to train existing artificial intelligence like ChatGPT or Gemini.
This is, in fact, a high-performance closed-loop system where real neurons communicate with software in real time, and a robust environment keeps the neurons alive for up to six months. corticallabs.com
This system is a complete game-changer in the computing world and the realm of artificial intelligence. Currently, there isn't anything even close in the whole world like the Synthetic Biological Intelligence (SBI) named CL1.
Founder and CEO of Cortical Labs, Dr. Hon Weng Chong, stated that this is the culmination of a six-year vision and that their long-term mission is to democratize this technology, making it accessible to all researchers without specialized hardware and software.
The Potential and Applications of CL1
He also mentioned that the full potential of this technology will be realized only when it's in the hands of users.
Through the offering of 'Wetware-as-a-Service' (WaaS), customers will be able to immediately purchase the CL1 biocomputer or simply buy time on the chips, accessing them remotely to work with cultured cell technology via the cloud.
The applications of CL1 are vast and limitless, enabling millions of users—such as researchers, innovators, and big thinkers worldwide—to bring their ideas to life.
Some applications of this platform that could spark a revolution include drug research and discovery, clinical trials, and building robotic intelligence.
Conclusion
The next step in the development of this technology will be building a stack of biological neural network servers and achieving functionality similar to the human brain.
What everyone is surely interested in now is when this technology will be available to the masses. According to Cortical Labs, this will happen very soon—in the second half of 2025—at a price of $35,000, which is more than half the price of anything remotely similar on the market.
Source: These pictures of CL1 are taken from the Cortical Labs website
Source: This video of CL1 is taken from the Cortical Labs YouTube Channel
Greetings and until my next article!
Teo
Wow!
This is insane news!
In no time we will be able to connect our brains to a computer and then there are no limits to what we can do. 👍😀