The Future of Science Starts with You

Billions of neurons connected through trillions of synapses make for one of the most phenomenally epic things in the known universe: the human brain. I suppose it’s not surprising, given that the brain is the seat of consciousness, creativity, willpower, anger, love… everything we know and wish we knew about the world and ourselves.

Here at Eyewire, we’re on a quest to decipher the brain’s mysteries. It started with the retina. Soon, we’re venturing into neocortex. And in a few years? Who knows what exciting new scientific questions advances in AI will allow us to tackle.

One thing is for certain: we can’t do it alone. This scientific journey is bigger than one lab. It’s bigger than all the institutions in the world. It’s so big that we invite the whole world to help by playing Eyewire, and soon, Neo.

At TEDxKyoto, I shared my idea worth spreading: the future of science will be nothing like the past. Watch the talk to see it unfold in a mere 14 minutes. Warning! Video contains beautiful brain images, a few goofy GIFs, and ponderings on the future of humans + AI.

A big thanks to the Eyewire community, Eyewire HQ, Seung Lab, Sebastian Seung, TED and all the people who have helped me refine my presentation. One short TEDx talk is many years in the making. THANK YOU for being on this journey. I’m so excited for the future!

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This talk is the public debut of Neo, a new project from the creators of Eyewire. Get stoked for the future! Sign up at neo.eyewire.org to be among the first to try a pre-release version of Neo in 2017.