A Software Agent with a Self? Machine Consciousness: Complexity Aspects 29 Sept to 1st October '03, ISI, Torino, Italy Stan Franklin and the “Conscious” Software Research Group

September 30, 2003Stan Franklin—Machine Consciousness—Torino2 IDA: an Intelligent Distribution Agent Detailer Telephone Dialogue with sailors Read personnel data Check job requisition lists Enforce Navy policies Choose jobs to offer members Negotiate with them about jobs Internet I D A

September 30, 2003Stan Franklin—Machine Consciousness—Torino3 Global Workspace Theory A psychological theory of consciousness The nervous system is a distributed parallel system with many different specialized processors Global workspace contains a coalition of processors Broadcasts globally to all other processors Recruit other processors needed for any degree of novel or problematic situation Explains limited capacity and seriality

September 30, 2003Stan Franklin—Machine Consciousness—Torino4 Contexts at work

September 30, 2003Stan Franklin—Machine Consciousness—Torino5 Processing in IDA A continuing iteration of a cognitive cycle of activities involving: Perception Working memory Transient episodic memory Long-term declarative memory ‘Consciousness’ Action selection Motor activity

September 30, 2003Stan Franklin—Machine Consciousness—Torino7 The Various Selves

September 30, 2003Stan Franklin—Machine Consciousness—Torino8 Baars—Self as the enduring context

September 30, 2003Stan Franklin—Machine Consciousness—Torino9 Baar’s Self-System Higher Levels of the dominant context hierarchy Overarching Enduring Includes both goal contexts and conceptual contexts Not available to introspection Includes self-concept Executive function (volitional self)

September 30, 2003Stan Franklin—Machine Consciousness—Torino10 Damasio’s Proto-Self Moment to moment Unconscious Tracks state of organism Proprioception Homeostasis Implement in IDA Operating system parameters Behavior net parameters Memory (SDM) parameters Number of threads Computer memory usage

September 30, 2003Stan Franklin—Machine Consciousness—Torino11 Minimal (Core) Self Gallagher, Damasio, Donald, many others Self as subject—self-as-subject fringe codelets Self as experiencer— fringe codelets (?), always present (?), function (?) Self as agent— intention codelets (are generated when one creates an intention to look for opportunities to do something).

September 30, 2003Stan Franklin—Machine Consciousness—Torino12 Extended Self Autobiographical Self—Hierarchical autobiographical memory (SDM?) Self-concept (Blackmore—Selfplex) Self-beliefs—Semantic Memory (SDM?) Intentions—Intention Codelets Volitional Self (Baars—Executive Function) Ideomotor theory as a behavior stream Intention codelet for each volitional goal (intention) Narrative Self (Gazzaniga—Interpreter) Understanding report requests and making reports

September 30, 2003Stan Franklin—Machine Consciousness—Torino13 Understanding Requests for a Report Perception codelets Slipnet nodes and links Working memory tags

September 30, 2003Stan Franklin—Machine Consciousness—Torino14 Making Reports Motivation—pleasure at responding to queries about self Conscious of request—request attention codelets Report contents of consciousness Report behavior streams Report message scripts

September 30, 2003Stan Franklin—Machine Consciousness—Torino15 Is IDA a conscious artifact? Functional vs. Phenomenal Consciousness IDA is functionally conscious I doubt IDA is phenomenally conscious No good argument to support that doubt Can you give me one? Would IDA with a self be phenomenally conscious?

September 30, 2003Stan Franklin—Machine Consciousness—Torino16 Predictions SERIOUS We humans will build “conscious”software agents and/or “conscious” robots, so intelligent, so sophisticated, and so communicative that people will simply assume that they are sentient. SPECULATIVE (Sloman) Some day, these same “conscious” software agents will find themselves discussing whether or not humans can really experience qualia.

September 30, 2003Stan Franklin—Machine Consciousness—Torino17 Web and Addresses Stan Franklin ‘Conscious’ Software Research Group