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Behaviours, Day-Dreams, Plans and Consciousness. Jim Doran University of Essex. I’m just a. Customer with a Few Suggestions. Customer domain:. Using multiple agent based social (ABS) modelling on a computer (aka ABSS, MABS) to investigate social problems and phenomena.
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Behaviours, Day-Dreams, Plans and Consciousness Jim Doran University of Essex JED MOC Birmingham 9. 2003
I’m just a Customer with a Few Suggestions JED MOC Birmingham 9. 2003
Customer domain: Using multiple agent based social (ABS) modelling on a computer (aka ABSS, MABS) to investigate social problems and phenomena JED MOC Birmingham 9. 2003
A good ABS Model has: • A Simulated Physical/Social Environment • containing multiple Software Agents (which need to be cognitively complex?) • at a suitable Level of Abstraction providing • reliable Modelling Validity • for some domain of investigation JED MOC Birmingham 9. 2003
Alas ….. Our ability to design and implement “complex” software agents is very limited indeed This matters! JED MOC Birmingham 9. 2003
Types of agent architecture: • ANN based • C-A Rule based • Blackboard • BDI (Planner based) • Hybrid and/or Multi-Layer • Robotic • “Fuzzy” controller JED MOC Birmingham 9. 2003
An Application: Modelling of guerrilla warfare and terrorism, with a view to assessing strategies and counter-strategies. For example ……… JED MOC Birmingham 9. 2003
A Conjecture "Granted mobility, security (in the form of denying targets to the enemy), time and doctrine (the idea to convert every subject to friendliness) victory will rest with the insurgents, for the algebraical factors are in the end decisive, and against them perfections of means and spirit struggle quite in vain. T.E.Lawrence Encyclopaedia Britannica, 14th ed., 1929, Vol 10, p 953 JED MOC Birmingham 9. 2003
Note…. …..the importance of ideas and belief systems. For example, in the guerrilla warfare domain, what insurgents and counter-insurgent believe and feel about themselves, one another, and the world around them can be crucial. It follows that agents in a valid model must be able to “believe” and collectively so. JED MOC Birmingham 9. 2003
In this context (ABS Modelling), questions about consciousness that need answersare: • Can a software agent be conscious? (Subjective awareness? Integrated self-model? Have or acquire information ?) • Can a software agent in an ABS model be conscious? • If so, are ABS models potentially more “powerful” if the agents within them are made conscious? JED MOC Birmingham 9. 2003
Towards answers…….Consciousness Am I conscious? Why do I believe that Aaron is conscious? Is a necessary condition for a “conscious” machine that it be “intelligent” in the AI sense? JED MOC Birmingham 9. 2003
Two suggestions: Design for “emergence”! + Solve an “intelligent survival” problem!(try to forget about the brain!) JED MOC Birmingham 9. 2003
Emergent Properties Consequences of a set of assumptions or specifications which are “non-obvious” and which are naturally characterised by a concepts “macro” to those in terms of which the assumptions or specifications are formulated. JED MOC Birmingham 9. 2003
Design for Emergence Put together a few relatively simple design elements in such a way that desired complex functionalities (e.g. cognitive) “emerge” without further specification. This might seem to make the design task much more difficult! But maybe some of the high level stuff that seems hard to design comes for free! One attempt ……… JED MOC Birmingham 9. 2003
A start point – compare: Simple Repetition --of a previous pattern of actions Behaviour –an established andcoherent set of situation-action combinations that achieves one or more requirements Episodic memory –projection of a previous combination of action, events and situations Plan –projected pattern of actions, with associated situations and events, that (seemingly) achieves a requirement Day-dream (& Dream) –semi-arbitrary projection of pattern of actions with associated situations and events JED MOC Birmingham 9. 2003
A Random Input/Output Network OUT IN What interpretations might be supported? JED MOC Birmingham 9. 2003
A set of “design elements” • Initially random network with designated (sensory) input and (action) output • Pre-set network sub-structure (sub-areas and “projections” between them) • Specification of AN units • Inbuilt processes of self-adjustment • Environmental properties: generating input • Imposed training regime: forcing certain outputs in certain circumstances To be used to solve… JED MOC Birmingham 9. 2003
An “Intelligent Survival” Problem Assemble instantiations of the design elements to yield an agent which can act to survive as follows: -- utilise and discriminate all sensory input as needed including past sensory input -- be "efficient" incl. discovery and use of generalisations -- "recognise" perceptual patterning corresponding to instances of external entities/processes which have multiple perceptual signatures [this implies building internal model(s) potentially incorporating self model] -- use temporal projection. It's efficient to work out what to do in situations only when those situations actually arise, and this implies projection. JED MOC Birmingham 9. 2003
BB6 is … …an existing C program that is an attempt to obtain S-A reactivity, behaviours, episodic memory, planning and plan execution from a relatively unstructured network of adaptive AN style units controlling an agent in a very simple simulated environment. (Compare Gianluca Baldassarre’s work) JED MOC Birmingham 9. 2003
######################### #26 3 4 6 1# # 6 6 5 5 # # 6 F 1 # # 13 36 1 2 # # 6 5 5 F # # F3 2 41 6 # #4 1 6 4 5 # # F 3 4 FF 4 F # # 1 2 F 1 # # F 3 5 2 43 5 # # 3 3 F # # 2w2 11 # # 31 >5 4 63# #4 4 1 6 2 # #5 14 4 F 14 # #2F 5 3 3 3 F # # F F 2 16 3 F33# # 1 F6 4 1 # # 1 F F 5 6 # #2 5 1 # # F F F # # 4 1 3 2 23 # # 3 6 1 F6 5 F# ######################### BB6 in its environment BB6 (“>”) can move, can sense its local environment and must consume food (“F”) and water (“W”) which renew periodically. JED MOC Birmingham 9. 2003
Short term Memory (Representations) Short term Memory (Representations) Sensory Input Representations Representations Action units Reaction Module Actions Projection Module BB6 JED MOC Birmingham 9. 2003
Weight adjustment Co-activation leads to connection – with choice of representation emergent JED MOC Birmingham 9. 2003
But too much of the BB6 structure seems “hacky” Two types of activity Forward is DF, but backward BF Clocking Double thresholds Non-random mappings JED MOC Birmingham 9. 2003
And…… • importantly we’re missing: • representations by unit clusters, with consequent flexibility • reflexivity JED MOC Birmingham 9. 2003
Which notions of consciousness, if any, does BB already or potentially exhibit? JED MOC Birmingham 9. 2003
Recap Can/should ABS software agents be conscious? Is “design for emergence” useful ? JED MOC Birmingham 9. 2003