A brain organoid is a three-dimensional cell culture that models some features of neural tissue. Researchers grow organoids to investigate development and disease. Organoid intelligence, or OI, asks an additional engineering question: can the activity and adaptation of living networks be used to process information?
Proposed systems deliver stimulation, record responses and connect the tissue to software that translates between signals and tasks. Unlike a chip, the tissue needs nutrients, suitable growing conditions and biological monitoring. Differences between cultures complicate reproducibility and stable operation.
This is experimental research, not a general biological replacement for a personal computer. The 2023 Frontiers framework links potential computing applications with studies of learning and ethical questions. An organoid is not a complete human brain, and electrical activity alone does not establish consciousness. For this site's coverage, tissue transplantation and computation with a culture are related research areas with different goals. Keeping those goals distinct makes their results easier to understand.