A photodetector device to act as an artificial photonic synapse includes a substrate and a perovskite quantum dot-multiwall carbon nanotube (PQD-MWCNT) hybrid material. The PQD-MWCNT hybrid material channel is disposed on the substrate between a first electrode and a second electrode and forms a PQD-MWCNT channel. The PDQs comprise a methylammonium lead bromide material. A method of operating the photodetector device as an artificial photonic synapse includes applying a presynaptic signal as stimuli as one or more light pulses on the PQD-MWCNT channel between the first electrode and the second electrode. A current across the PQD-MWCNT channel is measured to represent a postsynaptic signal.