Artificial intelligence

Recent articles

Explore how neuroscientists are thinking about—and applying—artificial intelligence.

Illustration of two planet-like spheres orbiting one another.

Can AI do neuroscience without understanding?

Prediction without understanding sustained astronomy through a thousand years of epicycles. Artificial intelligence is now offering neuroscience the same deal.

By Anthony Zador
27 April 2026 | 6 min read
Illustration of a brain that is half organic texture and half geometric pattern.

Trading places: What happens when neuroscience turns into machine learning, and machine learning turns into neuroscience?

Neuroscience has become increasingly concerned with prediction, and machine learning with causal explanation, with each field adopting methods from the other. I asked eight experts to weigh in on what we stand to learn from this exchange.

By Samuel Gershman
23 March 2026 | 22 min read

David Sussillo on persistence, luck and the bonds between life and work

In a Q&A about his new book, “Emergence,” Sussillo shares why he wrote it and how challenging circumstances shaped his journey into neuroscience.

By Francisco J. Rivera Rosario, David Sussillo
17 March 2026 | 7 min watch

Large-scale neuroimaging datasets often lack information specific to women’s health, constraining AI’s analysis potential

Addressing this gap will require collecting widespread data on pregnancy, menopause and other life events women experience—and could bring us closer to the “holy grail” of linking brain and behavior.

By Amy Kuceyeski
16 March 2026 | 0 min watch

Modern AI is simply no match for the complexity likely required for harboring consciousness, says Jaan Aru

He argues that our brain’s computations are of a completely different nature than any artificial intelligence because they take place across many spatial and temporal scales and are inextricably entwined with biological materials.

By Paul Middlebrooks
11 February 2026 | 1 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Howard Fields.

In memoriam: Howard Fields, pain research pioneer

Over six decades, Fields mapped out the circuits of both pain and addiction.

By Natalia Mesa
22 May 2026 | 7 min read
Hand points to letters on a board.

Still no proof for facilitated spelling methods

A systematic review into whether the “rapid prompting method” or “spelling to communicate” can help autistic people express themselves comes up empty yet again.

By Brendan Borrell
21 May 2026 | 6 min read
Billboard reads Protect Life-Saving Science.

Oregon primate center scientists fight proposed sanctuary transition

A group of employees has launched a series of campaigns to advocate for their work and argue against the center’s potential transition to an animal sanctuary.

By Calli McMurray
21 May 2026 | 6 min read