The Crypto Billionaire Betting $1 Billion To Build AI Based On The Human Brain

Jed McCaleb, co-founder of Ripple and Stellar, is investing $1 billion of his $3.9 billion cryptocurrency fortune to develop AI systems based on the human brain, aiming for artificial general intelligence (AGI). His nonprofit, Astera Institute, is spearheading this effort, which diverges from the mainstream focus on transformer models. The plan involves neuroscientists in Emeryville fitting mice with brain-computer interfaces to record neural activity during basic tasks like navigating a maze. The goal is to create a library of mouse brain states that map to specific perceptions and actions, then translate these findings into code for a new type of AI system. These experiments will extend to monkeys and potentially humans. The ambition is not just to read minds, but to "write" them, potentially uploading knowledge or specific images into thoughts. McCaleb believes that instead of focusing solely on transformers, AI development should look closer at the human brain. This brain-inspired approach has prompted his significant financial commitment. Astera Institute joins other billion-dollar AI research ventures without immediate commercialization plans, like Ilya Sutskever's SSI and Jeff Bezos's Project Prometheus. McCaleb, who also spends time at his space company Vast, founded Astera Institute in 2020 with his spouse, Simiao Choo. They are part of the Giving Pledge, committing to donate most of their wealth. Dileep George, a former DeepMind executive and co-founder of Vicarious AI and Numenta, is Astera's first major hire. George aims to expand the lab to 30 researchers this year, attracting talent motivated by the mission rather than just high compensation. Astera plans to publish its research openly, a contrast to the increasingly secretive nature of some AI companies. McCaleb and George share skepticism about transformers alone achieving AGI, believing the field needs new architectures that are more efficient, transparent, and controllable.