How Google DeepMind Built a Virtual Rat with an AI Brain
Google DeepMind collaborated with Harvard researchers to create a virtual rat with an AI-powered brain. This digital rat isn't a physical robot, but a simulation that can move around a virtual environment in a way that mimics a real rat.
Here's how they did it:
Building a Realistic Rat: First, they created a digital model of a rat that replicates its body movements as closely as possible. This was achieved by using data collected from high-resolution recordings of real rats.
AI for the Brain: They then used a special kind of machine learning called deep reinforcement learning to create the rat's artificial brain. This AI was trained to control the digital rat's movements within a simulated environment that considers real-world forces like gravity.
Learning Like a Real Brain: The AI brain was trained using a method inspired by how real brains might work. This method, called inverse dynamics modeling, helped the AI learn to move the virtual rat like a real one would.
Matching Real Brain Activity: Interestingly, when the researchers compared the activity of the AI brain to recordings from real rat brains, they found similarities in how they produced coordinated movements.
This research is a big step towards a better understanding of how our brains control movement. In the future, scientists hope to use this virtual rat model to study other complex brain functions.