Image from Numenta.com
Numenta Inc., a neuroscience-based AI technology, announced the creation of its open-source Thousand Brains Project as a new, nonprofit entity. The Thousand Brains Project is intended to create a new type of artificial intelligence based on the sensorimotor principles observed in the brain.
The new organization is led by Executive Director Dr. Viviane Clay, a scientist with experience in neuroscience, AI and machine learning, alongside a team of seven full-time employees, according to a statement from the firm. Numenta co-founder Jeff Hawkins will serve as research advisor and board member of the Thousand Brains Project while continuing his role on Numenta’s board.
“Numenta was founded on a dual mission: to reverse-engineer the neocortex and apply those neocortical principles to advance AI,” Hawkins said via a statement. “This transition marks a significant milestone in our journey. Numenta will apply its neuroscience derived technology to advance deep learning-based AI, while the Thousand Brains Project will build an entirely new form of AI based on sensorimotor learning.”
Numenta has put all its patents related to the Thousand Brains Project under a non-assert pledge, allowing the new nonprofit and anyone else working with this approach to freely utilize it. In November 2024, the project’s code was released under an MIT license, permitting both research and commercial applications. Establishing the project as a separate nonprofit reinforces its commitment to open, unrestricted research, maximizing its potential to benefit a global audience.
