# Rippling Signals May Provide Working Memory in the Brain

- Show: [EE Times Current](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current)
- Published: 2025-04-04
- Length: 51m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2025-04-04-rippling-signals-may-provide-working-memory-in-the-brain
- Listen: https://podcast.show/aspencore/episode/144177143/

## Summary

Dr. Terry Sejnowski of the Salk Institute discusses his 50-year career bridging neuroscience and AI, including his foundational work on the Boltzmann machine with Jeff Hinton. He proposes that traveling waves and Spike Timing Dependent Plasticity (STDP) provide the biological substrate for long-term working memory, a mechanism that could inspire more efficient neuromorphic hardware. The hosts, Dr. Sunny Bains and Dr. Julia D'Angelo, along with commentator Prof. Ralph Etienne-Cummings, debate the implications of these findings for AI, specifically regarding the 'shallow' nature of Large Language Models and the role of embodiment.

## Chapters

- [0:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2025-04-04-rippling-signals-may-provide-working-memory-in-the-brain#t=3) Introduction and Career Origins
- [2:20](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2025-04-04-rippling-signals-may-provide-working-memory-in-the-brain#t=140) The Boltzmann Machine and Hinton Collaboration
- [7:39](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2025-04-04-rippling-signals-may-provide-working-memory-in-the-brain#t=459) Nobel Prize Reflections and the Senoski-Hinton Prize
- [9:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2025-04-04-rippling-signals-may-provide-working-memory-in-the-brain#t=583) Spike Timing and Neuromorphic Computing
- [11:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2025-04-04-rippling-signals-may-provide-working-memory-in-the-brain#t=670) Traveling Waves as Long-Term Working Memory
- [19:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2025-04-04-rippling-signals-may-provide-working-memory-in-the-brain#t=1173) STDP and Recurrent Neural Networks
- [26:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2025-04-04-rippling-signals-may-provide-working-memory-in-the-brain#t=1584) Limitations of LLMs and Embodiment
- [32:48](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2025-04-04-rippling-signals-may-provide-working-memory-in-the-brain#t=1968) Commentary on Intelligence and the Chinese Room

## Topics

- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Sensors & measurement in products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sensors)
- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)
- [Robotics & autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/robotics-and-autonomy)

## Most relevant to

established companies

## Mentioned

- Salk Institute (company)
- University College London (company)
- Johns Hopkins University (company)
- IBM (company)
- Boltzmann machine (product)
- ChatGPT (product)
- NURIPS (other)
- Telluride Neuromorphic Cognition Engineering Workshop (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [201. Non-invasive Memory Booster](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2024-11-19-201-non-invasive-memory-booster) (The Next Byte Podcast)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2025-04-04-rippling-signals-may-provide-working-memory-in-the-brain. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to EE Times Current.