The UK’s Answer to Darpa Wants to Rewire the Human Brain
Key takeaways
- The hope is to eventually address an entire range of disorders, from epilepsy to Alzheimer’s.
- Reports have previously estimated that this suite of neurological conditions costs the UK economy tens of billions of dollars each year.
- The vision of the program is, ‘Can we build more precise neurotechnologies to interface at the circuit level?’”
Why this matters: a development in AI with implications for how people work, create, and decide.
Photograph: FERNANDO BRAZComment Loader Save Story Save this story Comment Loader Save Story Save this story The UK’s Advanced Research and Innovation Agency (ARIA) was established in 2023 with the goal of pursuing “high-risk, high-reward” moonshots in sectors ranging from bolstering food security to new ways of ramping up human immunity.
With more than £1 billion (about $1.3 billion) worth of government funding earmarked between now and 2030, one of ARIA’s most ambitious programs is a £69 million initiative that aims to develop more tailored ways of modulating the human brain. The hope is to eventually address an entire range of disorders, from epilepsy to Alzheimer’s.
Reports have previously estimated that this suite of neurological conditions costs the UK economy tens of billions of dollars each year. According to ARIA program director Jacques Carolan, the unifying link is that they are all disorders of brain circuitry.