--- title: "Preface" document_id: sobe-2025-main-ai document_type: report_section parent_document: ../report.md section_id: main-section-02-preface section_order: 2 section_count: 17 language: en license: CC-BY-4.0 --- # Preface > Selective-retrieval section 2 of 17 from the [complete AI-readable report](../report.md). Content is copied without editorial summarization; relative asset, data, and code paths are rebased for this directory. - **Parent document:** [`report.md`](../report.md) - **Section ID:** `main-section-02-preface` - **Order:** 2 of 17 - **Words:** 262 - **Previous:** [Front Matter](01-front-matter.md) - **Next:** [Executive Materials](03-executive-materials.md) It is hard to pinpoint numbers, but as of 2025 we estimate that less than 500 people globally are actively dedicated to the direct objectives of brain emulation. Even when considering those in overlapping areas of neuroscience, hardware, and software development, the total number likely still does not surpass 5,000 individuals worldwide. Such a small community means that every individual contributor's presence or absence can profoundly shape the field's trajectory. We hope this report will serve to attract new talent to this emerging and interdisciplinary endeavor. This report offers a comprehensive overview of the field of brain emulation, detailing its current state, recent scientific and technological advances, and future challenges. It is intended for researchers, funders, and technical professionals seeking an understanding of this highly interdisciplinary domain. It is important to note that this report does not claim exhaustive coverage. Our analysis focuses on five selected model organisms, offers only a glimpse into the vast topics of neuromodulation and neuroplasticity, and deliberately omits detailed discussions of transcriptomics or proteomics. As a primarily technical document, it also does not examine ethical and social considerations surrounding brain emulations, nor does it address questions pertaining to consciousness or personality preservation. Future editions might aim to update the chapters below in light of scientific progress, providing a continuously evolving overview for interested audiences. All data referenced in this report is publicly available for further research and development (see [Data repositories](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1so1BojMiuSTadc6BvGAkQL-CM9ieRaUkmFYWh4iGmYc/edit?gid=213241435#gid=213241435)). Niccolò Zanichelli, Maximilian Schons, Isaak Freeman, Philip Shiu, and Anton Arkhipov November 2025