The Society of Mind The Society of Mind by Marvin Minsky

Motivation What is human mind and how does it work? What is human mind and how does it work? How do we recognize objects and scenes? How do we recognize objects and scenes? How do we use words and languages. How do we use words and languages. How do we achieve goals? How do we achieve goals? How do we learn ? How do we learn ? How does “common sense” work? How does “common sense” work?

An individual ant is not very bright, but ants in a colony, operating as a collective, do remarkable things. An individual ant is not very bright, but ants in a colony, operating as a collective, do remarkable things. Motivation(contd.) "A single neuron in the human brain can respond only to what the neurons connected to it are doing, but all of them together can be Albert Einstein." By Deborah M. Gordon (Stanford University)

Some social systems in Nature can present an intelligent collective behavior although they are composed by simple individuals. Some social systems in Nature can present an intelligent collective behavior although they are composed by simple individuals. The intelligent solutions to problems naturally “emerge” from the self-organization and communication of these individuals. The intelligent solutions to problems naturally “emerge” from the self-organization and communication of these individuals. Analogy : Ants' society

Individual ants are simple insects with limited memory and capable of performing simple actions. Individual ants are simple insects with limited memory and capable of performing simple actions. However, an ant colony expresses a complex collective behavior providing intelligent solutions to problems such as: However, an ant colony expresses a complex collective behavior providing intelligent solutions to problems such as: carrying large items carrying large items forming bridges forming bridges finding the shortest routes from the nest to a food source, prioritizing food sources based on their distance and ease of access. finding the shortest routes from the nest to a food source, prioritizing food sources based on their distance and ease of access. Analogy :Ants society(cont.)

How do they know which task to perform? How can they manage to find the shortest path (Goal)? Ants have dealt with with the same kind of questions which we have set out with. How did the Ants communicate with each other ? How do they form such huge colonies ? Analogy :Ants society(cont.)

Introduction K-lines, Nomes, Nemes K-lines example, Large Agencies, Problem Solving Communication and Growth of Mental Societies Recent developments and conclusion Content

Agents Any part or process of Brain that by itself is simple enough to understand Any part or process of Brain that by itself is simple enough to understand Agents constitute the building blocks of the mind Agents constitute the building blocks of the mind In society of mind, mental activity reduces to turning individual agents on and off In society of mind, mental activity reduces to turning individual agents on and off Unintelligent Unintelligent

Agency Society of simple agents Society of simple agents Can perform functions more complex than any single agent could Can perform functions more complex than any single agent could Complicated behavior is the result of the interaction between groups of agents Complicated behavior is the result of the interaction between groups of agents

K-lines Turns on a particular set of agents Turns on a particular set of agents Activating a K-line can cause a cacade of effects in the mind Activating a K-line can cause a cacade of effects in the mind Reactivates the previous mental state based on the similarities between current situation and the situation previously encountered Reactivates the previous mental state based on the similarities between current situation and the situation previously encountered Causes to enter particular remembered configuration of agents Causes to enter particular remembered configuration of agents

Classes of K-lines Nemes are concerned with the representing aspects of the world Nemes are concerned with the representing aspects of the world Nomes are concerned with controlling how the representations are manipulated. Nomes are concerned with controlling how the representations are manipulated.

Nemes produced by learning from experience produced by learning from experience Polynemes invoke partial states within multiple agencies Polynemes invoke partial states within multiple agencies polynemes supports that meaning can be better expressed across multiple representations polynemes supports that meaning can be better expressed across multiple representations

Micronemes Refers aspects of a situation that are difficult to attach to any particular thing Refers aspects of a situation that are difficult to attach to any particular thing Feelings, emotions etc Feelings, emotions etc

Nomes Controls how representations are manipulated Controls how representations are manipulated Isonomes signal to different agencies to perform the same uniform type of coginitive operation Isonomes signal to different agencies to perform the same uniform type of coginitive operation Pronomes control the use of short-time memory Pronomes control the use of short-time memory Pronomes are often associated with a specific role in a large situation or event Pronomes are often associated with a specific role in a large situation or event

Paranomes Set of pronomes linked to each other Set of pronomes linked to each other Changes made by one pronome produce corresponding changes by other pronomes to related representations Changes made by one pronome produce corresponding changes by other pronomes to related representations

Example of K-line K-line attached to many agents. K-line attached to many agents.

Example of K-line formation

K-line formed due to the event

How to combine agents to form larger agencies? Frames Frames Frames are a form of knowledge representation Frames are a form of knowledge representation Concerned with representing a thing and all the other things or properties that relate to it in certain particular ways. Concerned with representing a thing and all the other things or properties that relate to it in certain particular ways. Has slots. Has slots. Built from pronomes which control use of slots. Built from pronomes which control use of slots. Frame-arrays Frame-arrays Collection of frames which share slots. Collection of frames which share slots.

How to combine agents to form larger agencies? Each frame describes the thing from some particular perspective or point of view. Each frame describes the thing from some particular perspective or point of view. Transframes Transframes Represent events and all of the entities that were involved with or related to the event. Represent events and all of the entities that were involved with or related to the event. Picture-frames that represent the spatial layout of objects within scenes. Picture-frames that represent the spatial layout of objects within scenes.

How can agents solve problems? Difference Engines Difference Engines Simple Machine. Simple Machine. Operate on difference between the current state and goal state. Operate on difference between the current state and goal state. invoke suitable k-lines which reduce the difference. invoke suitable k-lines which reduce the difference. Censors and Suppressors Censors and Suppressors Additional Knowledge about common pit falls and bugs in the methods. Additional Knowledge about common pit falls and bugs in the methods. Supress the actions which lead to bugs. Supress the actions which lead to bugs.

How can agents solve problems? (contd...) A-Brain and B-Brain A-Brain and B-Brain Some type of pitfalls not particular to any method Some type of pitfalls not particular to any method looping looping B-Brain B-Brain think about the A-Brain. think about the A-Brain.

How do agents communicate with each other? K-Lines K-Lines invoke other agents in the mind. invoke other agents in the mind. Connection-lines Connection-lines agents connected to each other through bus. agents connected to each other through bus. Internal language Internal language Similar to how people communicate with each other in their natural language. Similar to how people communicate with each other in their natural language. Paranomes Paranomes Common Method Common Method

Growth of Mental Societies Protospecialists Protospecialists Highly evolved agencies that produce behaviors Highly evolved agencies that produce behaviors provide initial solutions to problems such as locomotion, obtaining food. provide initial solutions to problems such as locomotion, obtaining food. Predestined Learning Predestined Learning Abilities which are shared among all the people. Abilities which are shared among all the people. eg.walking eg.walking

Growth of Mental Societies Types of Learning Types of Learning Accumulating Accumulating Remember each example or experience as separate case. Remember each example or experience as separate case. Uniframing Uniframing Finding general discription which subsumes multiple examples. Finding general discription which subsumes multiple examples. Transframing Transframing Anology or some other form of bridge between two represenatations. Anology or some other form of bridge between two represenatations. Reformulation Reformulation New ways to describe the existing knowledge. New ways to describe the existing knowledge.

Growth of Mental Societies Learning from attachment figures Learning from attachment figures How to learn goals in the first place. How to learn goals in the first place. Interaction with attachment figures. Interaction with attachment figures. Learning from Mental Managers Learning from Mental Managers mental growth are based not simply on acquiring new skills mental growth are based not simply on acquiring new skills acquiring new administrative ways to use what one already knows acquiring new administrative ways to use what one already knows Development Stages Development Stages Multiple Stages. Multiple Stages. Train each other. Train each other.

Recent Developments Case-based reasoning Case-based reasoning This field studies implementation details of K- lines. This field studies implementation details of K- lines. The methods that have been developed by this community are the most similar in spirit to Minsky's ideas about K-lines The methods that have been developed by this community are the most similar in spirit to Minsky's ideas about K-lines

Multiagent systemsMultiagent systems This Field tries to answer the kinds of questions about how one might build a Society of Mind. This Field tries to answer the kinds of questions about how one might build a Society of Mind. Researchers have proposed many ideas about how agents should communicate, how they might coordinate their different goals, how they might work together to plan solutions to problems, and so forth. Researchers have proposed many ideas about how agents should communicate, how they might coordinate their different goals, how they might work together to plan solutions to problems, and so forth. There are now a wide variety of architectural ideas about how to build multiagent systems There are now a wide variety of architectural ideas about how to build multiagent systems

Consequences of the theory Godel's Incompleteness Theorem. Godel's Incompleteness Theorem. Technological Singularity. Technological Singularity. Artificial Creativity. Artificial Creativity.

Are People Machines? Human activities can be broken down into small, simple actions. Human activities can be broken down into small, simple actions. It may be that humans are only highly complicated machines with billions of parts. It may be that humans are only highly complicated machines with billions of parts.

References [1] Push Singh: Examining the Society of Mind. Computers and Artificial Intelligence 22(6): (2003) [1] Push Singh: Examining the Society of Mind. Computers and Artificial Intelligence 22(6): (2003) [2] Marvin Minskey: Society of Mind. Book [2] Marvin Minskey: Society of Mind. Book [3] Julie Minskey: Society of Mind. Article. 24/e4bbee1dc1385f85730df870d / WER-INFO-64.pdf [3] Julie Minskey: Society of Mind. Article. 24/e4bbee1dc1385f85730df870d / WER-INFO-64.pdf 24/e4bbee1dc1385f85730df870d / WER-INFO-64.pdf 24/e4bbee1dc1385f85730df870d / WER-INFO-64.pdf [4] Artificial Consciousness. Article. sciousness html [4] Artificial Consciousness. Article. sciousness html