Researchers are pairing human organoids both with other species and with robotics and computation. Interspecies chimeric organoids, for example, are being investigated for their potential to grow mature human organs for transplantation by aggregating pig liver organoids with human progenitor cells.¹⁵ Human brain organoids, successfully transplanted into a living animal, have removed a major barrier to using them as models of human disease.¹⁶ Interspecies organoids (from mice) are used to accelerate development of human cells in embryoids. Whole organs have been derived with mouse-rat interspecies systems.¹⁷

Future Horizons:

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5-yearhorizon

Borrowed cellular qualities emerge

Researchers grow tissues that regenerate themselves, thanks to capacity harnessed from other species or re-activated in our own development pathways.

10-yearhorizon

Augmented abilities arise

Hybrid "brainoid-machine interfaces" are developed, in which part of the computational power comes from biologically grown neurons and the other part comes from traditional silicon.

25-yearhorizon

The era of hybrid intelligence arrives

Researchers find a pathway to augmenting human cognition with, for example, the more capable short-term memory of a chimpanzee. Hybrid organic intelligence; that is, research with brain organoids, teaches us how the brain learns, allowing us to boost AI and traditional education with these insights. Brain organoid integration with AI may give robots intuition and the capacity to “notice” things.

Organoid pairings are not limited to the organic. Brain organoids have also been paired with silicon technology, driving a robot to investigate how innate learning networks form.¹⁸ Such machine-organoid connections could yield novel computational learning approaches for hybrid wetware/hardware AI.¹⁹ A model of human cortical development could underpin novel computational learning approaches.²⁰ There is also some hope that hybrid organoids will assist in understanding extinction processes and facilitating de-extinction efforts.²¹

Hybrid organoids - Anticipation Scores

The Anticipation Potential of a research field is determined by the capacity for impactful action in the present, considering possible future transformative breakthroughs in a field over a 25-year outlook. A field with a high Anticipation Potential, therefore, combines the potential range of future transformative possibilities engendered by a research area with a wide field of opportunities for action in the present. We asked researchers in the field to anticipate:

The uncertainty related to future science breakthroughs in the field
The transformative effect anticipated breakthroughs may have on research and society
The scope for action in the present in relation to anticipated breakthroughs.

This chart represents a summary of their responses to each of these elements, which when combined, provide the Anticipation Potential for the topic. See methodology for more information.