This AI Grows a Brain During Training (Pathway’s AI w/ Zuzanna Stamirowska)

Imagine an AI that doesn’t just output answers — it remembers, adapts, and reasons over time like a living system.

In this episode of The Neuron, Corey Noles and Grant Harvey sit down with Zuzanna Stamirowska, CEO & Cofounder of Pathway, to break down what's building: the world’s first post-Transformer frontier model, called BDH — the Dragon Hatchling architecture.

Zuzanna explains why current language models are stuck in a “Groundhog Day” loop — waking up with no memory — and how Pathway’s architecture introduces true temporal reasoning and continual learning.

We explore:
• Why Transformers lack real memory and time awareness
• How BDH uses brain-like neurons, synapses, and emergent structure
• How models can “get bored,” adapt, and strengthen connections
• Why Pathway sees reasoning — not language — as the core of intelligence
• How BDH enables infinite context, live learning, and interpretability
• Why gluing two trained models together actually works in BDH
• The path to AGI through generalization, not scaling
• Real-world early adopters (Formula 1, NATO, French Postal Service)
• Safety, reversibility, checkpointing, and building predictable behavior
• Why this architecture could power the next era of scientific innovation

From brain-inspired message passing to emergent neural structures that literally appear during training, this is one of the most ambitious rethinks of AI architecture since Transformers themselves.

If you want a window into what comes after LLMs, this interview is essential.

Resources:
-???? Read the BDH research paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.26507
- ???? Learn more about Pathway: https://pathway.com/

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➤ CHAPTERS
01:12 - From Game Theory to Complexity Science
05:09 - How Intelligence Emerges from Simple Interactions
06:39 - The Transformer Breakthrough — and Its Limits
08:23 - AI’s Groundhog Day Problem
13:24 - Why Pathway Calls It “Baby Dragon Hatchling
16:52 - Continual Learning and the Dragon Metaphor
17:20 - Learning Like a Brain: Neurons and Connections
21:27 - When a Brain Emerges Inside the Model
22:54 - Memory as Strengthened Connections
24:58 - Seeing Neural Activity Inside the Model
26:46 - Memory, Surprise, and Forgetting
27:47 - Scaling Without Brute Force
32:44 - Gluing Models Together Like Lego
34:16 - Real-World Use Cases: From Formula 1 to NATO
36:38 - Dragon Nests & Production Roadmap
38:18 - Reasoning as the Core of Intelligence
39:45 - Safety and Controllable Risk
43:13 - Unlocking True Generalization
45:54 - Long-Term Vision for AI and Humanity

Hosted by: Corey Noles and Grant Harvey
Guest: Zuzanna Stamirowska, CEO and Cofounder of Pathway AI
Published by: Manique Santos
Edited by: Adrian Vallinan