This paper introduces a novel approach to decision-making systems in autonomous agents, leveraging the Independent Core Observer Model (ICOM) cognitive architecture.  By synthesizing principles from Global Workspace Theory [Baars], Integrated Information Theory [Balduzzi], the Computational Theory of Mind [Rescorla], Conceptual Dependency Theory [Schank], and Hierarchical Memory Theory [Ahmad] together has been developed a framework that centers on simulated emotion-driven processes as the core mechanism for generating goals and motivations in independent agents.  The ICOM system div ..read more

This paper presents some components of the learning system within the Independent Core Observer Model (ICOM) cognitive architecture as applied to the observer side of the architecture.   ICOM is uniquely designed to continuously enhance its problem-solving capabilities through a mechanism that integrates feedback from past experiences to optimize future actions, generate new actions, and extend the system functionality on the fly to perform new functions as the System determines is needed.  Central to this System are problem identification, proposed solution generation, and impl ..read more

I’m not going to try to convince you that the foreseeable future is a wondrous place: either you accept the implications of the present rate of technological progress towards everything allowed by the laws of physics, in which case you’ve probably thought this all through at some point, or you don’t. Life, space travel, artificial intelligence, the building blocks of matter: we’ll have made large inroads into bending these all to our will within another half century. Many of us will live to see it even without the benefits of medical technologies yet to come: growing up without the intern ..read more

Do you feel it? It’s everywhere: on television, in the newspaper, at any public gathering, in any discussion – even among friends. It’s a feeling of mistrust, nervousness, suspicion, and even rage. Mostly, it’s just under the surface. But more and more, it’s bubbling to the top. Political debate is breaking into outright war. Just say the words, “I don’t believe government should do that…” and the war is on. Take a side. Feel the heat. Tolerance is a thing of the past. There is an all-out, vicious attack on anyone who doesn’t respond properly: ridicule, intimidation, public shunning, dest ..read more

If someone offered you either $1 or $1000, which would you choose? A version of this thought experiment is known as “Newcomb’s Paradox“, of which there are many variations, but the real-world reasons behind peoples’ decision-making are far more interesting than the thought experiment itself. In practice, the experiment demonstrates a breakdown in rational thought. In the 1700s a Swiss mathematician and physicist named Daniel Bernoulli came up with equations that led to the “multi-armed bandit problem” frequently seen in computer science today. This demonstrated the risk versus reward calculati ..read more

As of April 1, 2022 R/Place is at it again.  They’ve opened their canvas for anyone with an account to place one pixel at a time to build whatever works of art they choose.  Of course everyone can overwrite them too.  It creates a great form of consensus art competition.  Similar in some ways to the painting rocks we are familiar with but with input from across the globe. This quickly becomes a very interesting social experiment telling us not only what people are interested in but how they choose to convey it.  Only interests with a large and well-coordinated base can ..read more

Contemporary philosophy of mind is still living under the deep shadow of the Cartesian and the non-Cartesian mind-body dichotomies.  This is the textbook description of this fallacy: “According to some, minds are spiritual entities that temporarily reside in bodies, entering at birth and departing on death; others reject the concept of mind, claiming that minds are just brains.” (Join Heil, 2004). And here is an artistic description of the same premises: “They have cut man in two, setting one half against the other. They have taught him that his body and his consciousness are two enemies ..read more

How often do you get distracted and forget what you were doing, or find a word on the tip of your tongue that you can’t quite remember? In humans, these “brain farts” (cognition errors) can be irritating, but in a Mediated Artificial Superintelligence (mASI) cognition errors of various kinds have their own error codes. Where humans are presently limited to primitive and expensive brain-scanning technologies such as fMRI, resulting in a heavy reliance on surveys and other sources of highly subjective data, mASI provides us with a dashboard full of auditable information on every though ..read more

Prior to the discovery of single genes that could be mutated, silenced, or otherwise altered to significantly extend longevity in lower animals, such a thing was thought very unlikely. This is to say that nobody really thought about it at all – it wasn’t a possibility within the paradigm of understanding for aging and metabolic processes. Now, of course, researchers have a variety of longevity mutations in hand in species ranging from worms to rodents, and more are being discovered with each passing year. Some technology demonstrations built atop these mutations have extended healthy life ..read more

What does the term Diversity mean to you? In many US companies, the term diversity is applied as meaning the 7 federally mandated “protected classes” of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability plus any local laws which may apply. This is done for liability reasons, and like most laws, the protected classes exist to protect some, not all. In the business and legal world today, this is the definition of diversity. To me, diversity means something quite different, the diversity of perspective, and subsequent diversity of thought. You can have a tech company popul ..read more