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 the world’s first post-Transformer frontier model: 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. Subscribe to The Neuron newsletter for more interviews with the leaders shaping the future of work and AI: https://theneuron.ai