1. ICBM 2013 1 Michigan State University Obama’s Brain Initiative, Opportunities, and Resistance from the Status Quo Juyang (John) Weng Computer Sci., Neurosci., Cognitive Sci. Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 49924 USA weng@msu.edu

2. ICBM 2013 2 Michigan State University Brain Initiatives l 4/2/2013 Obama announced his brain initiative l To get a dynamic picture of the brain l To better understand how we think, learn and remember l $100M/year plus $94M/year from private partners l EU has announced the Human Brain Project l China is preparing its own brain project

3. ICBM 2013 3 Michigan State University What is Required for the BRAIN Project? l Foremost: address the group intelligence problem l It is not that humans do not have sufficient information about how the brain works l Enough information is out there in the vast literature l Individual humans are “blinded” by the lack of group intelligence in the human race

4. ICBM 2013 4 Michigan State University Group l Group: Multiple agents that interact closely l Natural group: l A company, a nation, humans on the earth l Artificial group: l A group of developmental robots that use brain- like emergent representations l Mixed group: l With natural and artificial agents

5. ICBM 2013 5 Michigan State University Group Development: Developed Countries l It is easier for a developed country (e.g., USA) to: l Form allies based on superficial friendliness l React in a short-sighted way l Disregard development as a science l It is also harder for a developed country (e.g., USA) to see a deeper causality: Group developmental program

6. ICBM 2013 6 Michigan State University Group Development: Developing Countries l It is easier for a developing country to see: l Scientific knowledge l Advanced technology l Wealth l Weapons l It is harder for a developing country to see a deeper causality: Group developmental program

7. ICBM 2013 7 Michigan State University The US President and BRAIN l Obama : l “This is a Nation of dreamers and risk-takers.” l “We do not just track the best scientists and entrepreneurs” l “We have not unlocked the mystery of 3 pounds of matter that sits between our ears” l “Better understand how we think, how we learn, and how we remember.” l “Presumably our life would be simpler here if it would explain everything going on in Washington. (laughs)”

8. ICBM 2013 8 Michigan State University The BRAIN Initiative’s Danger: More Data, More Local Theories Little Global Theory

9. ICBM 2013 9 Michigan State University A Mind is a Bag of Tricks? (Artificial) neural networks are analogical and scruffy. - Marvin Minsky

10. ICBM 2013 10 Michigan State University The Brain is Not a Cascade of Areas! Felleman &Van Essen 1991

11. ICBM 2013 11 Michigan State University Brain-Mind: A Grand Puzzle Genome Neurons Circuits Cortex Pathways Multi-Scale nature Experience Functions Brain

12. ICBM 2013 12 Michigan State University Analogy: Power of Newton ’ s Theory l Newton used them to explain and investigate the motion of many physical objects and systems. l For example, Newton showed that these laws of motion, combined with his law of universal gravitation, explained Kepler's laws of planetary motion.

13. ICBM 2013 13 Michigan State University Brain-Mind Institute: meant to serve you and to avoid the danger

14. ICBM 2013 14 Michigan State University BMI 831 Cognitive Science for Brain-Mind Research Instructor 2013: Juyang Weng Brain-Mind Institute

15. ICBM 2013 15 Michigan State University The material is very rich and interesting …

16. ICBM 2013 16 Michigan State University BMI 871 Introduction to Computational Brain-Mind Instructor 2013: Juyang Weng

17. ICBM 2013 17 Michigan State University How a Brain-Mind Works in Principle (and Experiments) The Book Tells You …

18. ICBM 2013 18 Michigan State University The Entire Developmental Algorithm is about 2-Page Long The Book Shows …

19. ICBM 2013 19 Michigan State University How? For any FA there is a DN Weng IJCNN 2010 DN: Developmental Network (Earlier called ED Network) FA: Finite Automaton Marvin Minsky at MIT criticized ANNs

20. ICBM 2013 20 Michigan State University Resistance to Understanding the Brain l From government branches l From neuroscience l From cognitive science or psychology l From computer science l From electrical engineering l From mathematics

21. ICBM 2013 21 Michigan State University From Government Branches l “If you do something small, I would fund it.” l “People do not like that you do everything (your work would tell how everything works in the brain schematically).” l Thus, only piece meal, incremental projects have been funded. l But, focused developmental brain modeling and simulation proposals have been wrongly accused “to do everything”.

22. ICBM 2013 22 Michigan State University From Neuroscience l “I am only interested in brain areas A and B” l The brain is incorrectly considered as a homunculus body that consists of many “organs” l “Thus, each organ is sufficient to be focused on to find its roles.” l Thus, data rich, theory poor l However, our brain-scale theory predicts that there is no brain area whose role can be explained individually!

23. ICBM 2013 23 Michigan State University From Cognitive Science l Traditionally, focused on subject behaviors l Traditionally, focused on a specific hypothesis l “How the brain works? Not my problem” l Incorrectly assumed that area A does x and y.

24. ICBM 2013 24 Michigan State University From Computer Science l Misled early on by the Turing Test l Misled by Von Neumann computers l ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE should be predominantly "ARTIFICIAL" -- it need not compute by simulating the human mind. l “If the R&N text is inadequate, then the new Weng book will be even more limiting”

25. ICBM 2013 25 Michigan State University From Electrical Engineering l Mature theories for linear systems l Immature theories for nonlinear system l Lack of knowledge in artificial intelligence methods l But, the brain is a general- purpose nonlinear system that self-programs

26. ICBM 2013 26 Michigan State University From Mathematics l Typically, mathematicians are satisfied with proving an open theorem l Importance? Well, let the future sort it out l But the brain is a mathematical problem! l The new brain math will solve many well-known practical math problems

27. ICBM 2013 27 Michigan State University Great opportunities for all of you!