University of Genoa (Italy)

1. A process based architecture for artificial consciousness: from ontogenesis to phenomenal experience Riccardo Manzotti September 2003 Birmingham EBICC University of Genoa (Italy)

2. Hypotheses about the nature of phenomenal experience Hypotheses on the necessary and sufficient physical conditions for the occurrence of it Design of experimental setups to test these hypotheses An approach to phenomenal experience

3. 5 steps to (phenomenal) consciousness • Getting rid of representations and other dualistic attitudes • A process based ontology • The causal structure of relevant processes • An process-based module • An process-based architecture

5. 1 Getting rid of representations and other dualistic attitudes

8. Dualistic approach Observer Observed

9. Braincentrism (another form of dualism) • This concept can be better understood when we realize how the visual system operates. The eye is responsible for transforming light into an electric signal by means of the cells in the retina. This electrical signal reaches the sight center in the brain. The signals create the vision you see when you look out of the window. In other words, the sights you see are created in your brain. • You see the image in your brain, not the view outside the window. • Representationalism is the philosophical position that the world we see in conscious experience is not the real world itself, but merely a miniature virtual-reality replica of that world in an internal representation. • From “Gestalt Isomorphism and the Primacy of Subjective Conscious Experience: A Gestalt Bubble Model” Steven Lehar, Target paper accepted for publication in Behavioral Brain Sciences

10. This is still dualism Not mental/physical dualism but physical/physical dualism, where the physical domain is logically defined in Cartesian terms In a sense it is even poorer than Cartesian dualism since it lacks qualitative elements (new problem: the binding problem)

11. Why did the idea of representation arise? • The belief in a separate domain for the soul and its own objects, a belief eminently founded by Plato and afterward reinforced by other authors like Hegel and Frege. • The almost ubiquitous presence of the ‘so called’ derived representation: words, signs, printed characters, drawing, schemas, statues, picture, and portraits. • The discovery of the active role of the subject in the constitution of reality during the XVIIth century. • The development of information theory during the second half of the XXth century. • The fact that we are phylogenetically oriented in distinguishing ourselves from the environment.

12. What is a representation? It is a re-presentation, that is a duplicate of reality Thus representations entails dualism and, in turn, dualism entails representations • Do we really need dualism? • Do we really need representations?

13. 1 An process based ontology

14. Principle of existence Something to exist must produce effects

15. An alternative approach Process (form and cause) Observed Observer

16. There are not two ‘things’ (dualism) • the object and its • phenomenal experience There is just a single process that we call onphene because it is at the same time what happen (ontos) and what is perceived (phenomenon)

17. 30 18 17 7 31 10 0 5 19 16 11 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 6 0 23 1 8 4 0 25 22 0 0 0 3 9 8 0 0 15 1 28 0 0 14 29 1 20 0 12 0 Objects Object = physical parts + subject’s process

18. An analogy: the photon ontos phenomenon wave particle representation existence Intentionality photon onphene

19. A process view of phenomenal experiences (Presence)

20. Changing perspectives Intentionality Onto. Pheno. Episte. Phenomeno. Epistemo. Onphene/Process Ontology Classical approach: naturalising intentionality Process based approach

21. 3 The causal structure of onphenes

22. Causal description of an onphene An event is responsible not just of an effect but of the instation of the casual relation between itself and some future event Example: ontogenesis

24. An Architecture for Consciusness • Each phenomenal experience has to correspond to a physical process (onphene) of which the brain is the end part • The architecture must be able to permit to a huge number of these physical processes (onphenes) to take place

25. 4 An onphene based module

26. imprinting module (e ) 2 input event output intentional module (e ) A event module (e ) B intentional unit Onphene implementation

27. Basic Intentional Unit External events Categories Module (CM) Stimuli Categories Vector Relevant Signal + Ontogenetic Signals Phylogenetic Signals Phylogenetic Module Ontogenetic Module

29. Categories Module (CM) Categories Module (CM) Stimuli Stimuli Categories Vector Categories Vector Relevant Signal Relevant Signal + + Ontogenetic Signals Ontogenetic Signals Phylogenetic Signals Phylogenetic Signals Phylogenetic Module Phylogenetic Module Ontogenetic Module Ontogenetic Module Object oriented perspective Response

30. Categories Module (CM) Categories Module (CM) Stimuli Stimuli Categories Vector Categories Vector Relevant Signal Relevant Signal + + Ontogenetic Signals Ontogenetic Signals Phylogenetic Signals Phylogenetic Signals Phylogenetic Module Phylogenetic Module Ontogenetic Module Ontogenetic Module Onphene Process oriented perspective Response Some condition

31. 4 An onphene based module

34. Categories Module (CM) (cortex like) External events Phylogenetic Module (amygdala like) Ontogenetic Module (thalamus like)

35. Phenomenal consciousness Motivations Learning Perception Behaviour Actions

36. Another definition of autonomous agent • An autonomous agent is an agent that i) is capable of developing new goals ii) is using these new goals to control its own development and learning

37. Conclusion • Representations are physically identical to dynamic processes between the external world and the inside of the architecture • There is no need for re-presentation: Reality is one • A conscious subject is a hierarchy of processes built during development through the creations of new motivations • Each individual architecture will develop its unique personal and relatively unpredictable subjective mind (made of unique motivations and phenomenal experiences) • A conscious agent is an autonomus agent