AI emerges as a blend of human expression entwined in language and decades of engineering progress. Yet it lacks self-awareness, functioning as automated dead labor. This article acts as a portal to unravel the mysteries of Artificial Intelligence (AI), presenting it not as a mysterious and intimidating force but as an external expression of the remarkable capabilities embedded in the human mind.
By naturalizing this intricate technology through the lens of Cognitive Neuroscience, we embark on a journey to humanize AI. In doing so, we aim to bridge the gap between the seemingly autonomous nature of AI and the deeply rooted essence of human intelligence.
We hold the view that adopting such a perspective enables us to grasp the rapid advancements in AI and empowers us to actively mold it for the benefit of humanity.
Grasping the intricacies of these technical advances and intricate cognitive structures can be challenging, even with numerous attempts to simplify them through the creation and broadcasting of countless AI articles and videos every day.
Given the intricate nature of AI, analyzing it through the perspective of cognitive neuroscience, or put simply, our understanding of natural intelligence, can humanize AI's evolution, providing a relatable insight into its functioning.
Accordingly, we first delve into cognitive neuroscience and then zoom out to briefly highlight AI's accomplishments in the early 2020 in the subsequent section.
Setting the Stage: A Preliminary Overview Before the Deep Dive
Let's embark on our journey into understanding the human mind through the core of its goal directed decision-making process—a fusion of steps including perception, cognition, planning, reflection, action selection, fine-tuning, and learning.
Whether you are making a complex decision about whether and how to be an AI powered organisation or a more physically grouned such as choosing a coat in a shop, the same processes outlined above kick in.
A preliminary overview before we get delve into Cognitive Neuroscience: Perception and Cognition involves observing and understanding "what" our goals are and "where" we stand towards reaching them. Planning involves "how" we can reach the goals through competing action plans. Evaluation regaring and "benefits", "efforts" and "risks" of each of these action plans, followed by Reflective Decision making about "which" action plans to pursue. Once a particular action plan has been chosen the next part involves operational execution, monitoring and fine tuning the action plan, ultimately leading to learning from the whole experience.
Perception and Cognition
Lets consider a scenario, where you are in a shop faced with the dilmena of choosing an expensive coat that you like and a cheaper alternative. Your brain starts by perceiving choices and goals, to assess your current situation and evaluate objectives even before you begin planning your next moves.
As your eyes absorb both coat options it relays this information through the thalmus to the visual cortex located in the rear part of the brain. The visual cortex activates two distinct streams "ventral" and "dorsal" expressing —"what" and "where."
The ventral stream, located at the bottom of the brain, comprehends the "what" by focusing on object recognition, such as identifying the two coats your eyes are observing. The ventral stream weaves together object data with hippocampal memories, potentially triggering recollections of similar instances, as emotional cues from the Amygdala contribute to shaping associations and influencing perceptions of the objects.
Conversely, the dorsal stream manages spatial information, considering "where" you are in relation to the object or goal. The dorsal stream captures your physical distance to the coat and how to reach the coat.
Interestingly, the brain uses similar mechanisms whether it is about gauging a tangible object's relative location in space or your abstract situational context, like your budget constraints, in striving for a specific goal, such as acquiring one of the coats.
Planning - Creating different Action Plans
The subsequent phase involves devising potential plans based on the goals and the current situation. This task is managed by the motor cortex, composed of three key parts: the supplementary motor cortex, pre-motor cortex, and primary motor cortex.
The details regarding "what" from the ventral stream progress toward the supplementary motor cortex for further processing, through other brain parts such as inferotemporal cortex. Simultaneously, the information related to "where" from the dorsal stream reaches the pre-motor area.
Interaction occurs between the pre-motor area and the supplementary motor cortex, initiating the formulation of action plans. Consequently, the pre-motor cortex generates multiple competing action plans, possibly drawing upon procedural memory as a reference guide.
Evaluation of Different Action Plans
After coming up with different plans, the next step is to think about what might happen with each one. The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is important here because it helps encode the direct and possible side effects of actions. It stores and processes information about what could result from different decisions, along with relevant sensory data, which is crucial for understanding the outcomes of each choice.
Decision Making and Action Selection
Finally arriving at the decision-making step, picture the Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC) as a conductor overseeing a detailed evaluation of our choices. It's like a mental balancing act, managing various factors—such as cost, quality, effort required, potential success, and risks—when, for instance, deciding between purchasing an expensive coat or a more budget-friendly one. The ACC combines practical considerations, like cost and quality, with emotional satisfaction and perceived value. It's akin to mentally weighing all the pros and cons to arrive at a well-rounded decision
After this stage of careful deliberation, the refined information about different options and their potential consequences is forwarded to the basal ganglia, culminating in the selection of the most suitable course of action. The selected action is sent to the primary motor area for execution of action.
Monitoring Action Plans
After making a decision and trying on the expensive suit, if it doesn't align with your expectations (perhaps it doesn't fit well or match as anticipated), the cerebellum—an essential brain region primarily associated with motor coordination and precision—plays a pivotal role.
It intervenes to bridge the disparity between what was expected from the choice and the reality experienced. In addition to its role in coordinating physical movements, the cerebellum contributes to cognitive functions such as error correction, refining future actions based on mismatches between expectations and outcomes. This region is crucial for learning from experiences, including decision outcomes, and adjusting future decisions for better alignment with desired outcomes.
Learning
Imagine receiving a compliment about your suit, with someone admiring how fantastic it looks on you. This moment sparks a release of dopamine in your brain, generating a sense of reward and satisfaction. This positive reinforcement not only feels good but also plays a crucial role in the learning process. It reinforces the decision-making pattern, making it more likely for you to replicate similar successful choices in the future.
This learning, triggered by the rewarding experience, becomes ingrained in your procedural memory, essentially honing your ability to consistently make effective decisions. Over time, these reinforced decision-making patterns become almost instinctual, enhancing your overall skill in making favorable choices.
Understanding AI Developments from a Cognitive Architecture Perspective
Having delved deeply into Cognitive Neuroscience, we now appreciate how the subsequent AI advancements unfolded within the framework of a Cognitive Architecture.
The journey of AI commenced with a reflexive "perception-action" loop, initiated by the introduction of transformers and GPTs in 2020. The progression continued with the advent of RAG in 2020, ushering in "semantic memory". The year 2022 introduced the element of reflection, and 2023 marked the closure of the reflective loop with the incorporation of action.
The fast-paced development towards creating a cognitive architecture that mirrors the workings of the human mind is evident in the rapid introduction of other aspects, such as episodic and procedural memory, showcasing the multifaceted evolution of AI in mirroring the intricacies of human cognition. The evolution of Gen AI in the direction of Cognitive Architectures and AI 3.0 is elaborated further in the article Pioneering Change: Empowering Executives to Integrate Gen AI Agents as they evolve towards AGI 3.0.
Summary
This article unravels the mysteries of AI, portraying it as an expression of human ingenuity. Through the lens of Cognitive Neuroscience, we bridge the gap between AI's autonomous nature and human intelligence.
This shift in perspective reveals how AI, designed like us, is understanding us through vast human language and multi-modal content. It's becoming more like us, manifesting as agents destined to play a growing role in our lives.
Understanding this transformation is crucial to embrace and shape its positive impact, making this article an exploration into comprehending and embracing the evolving relationship between humans and AI. We invite others to participate in this journey of understanding and shaping the future of AI.
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