From Planes to BrainsBuilding AI the Wright Way

Scott Brown + Dileep George

Roadmap

RoadmapPhilosophy

RoadmapPhilosophyScience

RoadmapPhilosophyScienceEngineering

RoadmapPhilosophyScienceEngineering

Invention

Humans have been inventing for a long time

?

?

?

Flight circa 1900

Flight circa 1900

replicate natural phenomena

Flight circa 1900

replicate natural phenomenahigh level of public excitement

Flight circa 1900

replicate natural phenomenahigh level of public excitementmany approaches and teams

Flight circa 1900

replicate natural phenomenahigh level of public excitementmany approaches and teamsgovernment and private funding

Flight circa 1900

replicate natural phenomenahigh level of public excitementmany approaches and teamsgovernment and private fundinglots of crackpots

Flight circa 1900

replicate natural phenomenahigh level of public excitementmany approaches and teamsgovernment and private fundinglots of crackpotsexperts arguing it can’t be done

Flight circa 1900

replicate natural phenomenahigh level of public excitementmany approaches and teamsgovernment and private fundinglots of crackpotsexperts arguing it can’t be done

Flight circa 1900

replicate natural phenomenahigh level of public excitementmany approaches and teamsgovernment and private fundinglots of crackpotsexperts arguing it can’t be done

AI circa 2011

Contour Down Bristle

Freq.

FlappingMovement

Gliding

Head Wings Tail

Pos.

Flight

Amp.

Body

Bones

Muscles

Feathers

Vane Barbule Barbicels

{

Glia Ion

Proteins

Dendrites Spines

Synapses Learning Rules

Networks of Simple Neurons

Cortical Columns

Inter-region connectivity

Spikes

Perception

CognitionBehavior

Intelligence{

Old brain

Old brain

Neocortex

Common set of principles

Face Non-face

Face Non-face

2561024

Number of seconds in a human’s life: 3153600000

Assumptions Learning efficiency Generality

Assumptions Learning efficiency Generality

Assumptions Learning efficiency Generality

Assumptions Learning efficiency Generality

Neocortex works on several different

modalities

Neocortex works on several different

modalities

Neocortex learns efficiently

+

Necortical structure is

largely uniform

+

Neocortex works on several different

modalities

Neocortex learns efficiently

+

A common assumption-set

works wellfor a large set of

problems

Necortical structure is

largely uniform

+

Neocortex works on several different

modalities

Neocortex learns efficiently

+

What are the algorithms?

What are the algorithms?

What are the assumptions?✓

RoadmapPhilosophyScienceEngineering

RoadmapPhilosophy ScienceEngineering

Glia Ion

Proteins

Dendrites Spines

Synapses Learning Rules

Networks of Simple Neurons

Cortical Columns

Inter-region connectivity

Spikes

Perception

CognitionBehavior

What is the right level of abstraction?

Information processing

Information processing

Information processing

Communication between neurons

Information processing

Communication between neurons

Staying alive

Glia Ion

Proteins

Dendrites Spines

Synapses Learning Rules

Networks of Simple Neurons

Cortical Columns

Inter-region connectivity

Spikes

Perception

CognitionBehavior

Glia Ion

Proteins

Dendrites Spines

Synapses Learning Rules

Networks of Simple Neurons

Cortical Columns

Inter-region connectivity

Spikes

Perception

CognitionBehavior

Glia Ion

Proteins

Dendrites Spines

Synapses Learning Rules

Networks of Simple Neurons

Cortical Columns

Inter-region connectivity

Spikes

Perception

CognitionBehavior

Glia Ion

Proteins

Dendrites Spines

Synapses Learning Rules

Networks of Simple Neurons

Cortical Columns

Inter-region connectivity

Spikes

Perception

CognitionBehavior

What is the right level of abstraction?

What is the right level of abstraction?

Neocortex

Physics of World’s Data

Computational Framework

NeocortexSource of assumptions/

constraints

NeocortexSource of assumptions/

constraints

Physics of World’s DataTo find correspondence

with neocortex properties

NeocortexSource of assumptions/

constraints

Physics of World’s DataTo find correspondence

with neocortex properties

Computational FrameworkUnderstand why neocortex does what it does to design

algorithms

Observed hierarchy in the cortex

Hierarchical structure of data

Efficiency and re-use.Dynamic programming.

Spikes

? ?

Blue brain project

Machine learning, statistics

Brain corporation

Did Wright brothers observe birds to learn flying?

“Airplanes don’t flap their wings”

“Airplanes don’t flap their wings”

“Airplanes don’t flap their wings”

This is precisely what the Wrights learned by observing birds!

RoadmapPhilosophy ScienceEngineering

RoadmapPhilosophy ScienceEngineering

Kite

Kite Glider

Wind Tunnel Kite Glider

Engineering process

Biological Constraints

Computational Requirements

Biological circuit model for inference

Mathematical model for inference

Non-biological learning algorithm

Empirical results

Explanation for biological

phenomena

Hard Problem

Predictions

Engineering process

Biological Constraints

Computational Requirements

Biological circuit model for inference

Mathematical model for inference

Non-biological learning algorithm

Empirical results

Explanation for biological

phenomena

Hard Problem

Predictions

picture ofbird wings

picture ofbird wings

picture ofbird wings

Banking turn

Banking turn Wing warping

I

II/III

IV

V

VI

Biological circuit diagram

I

II/III

IV

V

VI

Biological circuit diagram

Mathematical model

(1) Coincidence likelihood

(2) Markov chain likelihood

(3) Coincidence Belief

(4) Feedback messages

D

D

D

D

D

D D

D

D

D

D

D

D

D

Belief

1

2 3

4

I

II/III

IV

V

VI

Davide Maltoni

Solving problems in the right order

Powerful motor Control

Is detailed brain connectivity a required first step?

We are building a vision system first...

We are building a vision system first...

because, higher level reasoning requires grounding in a perception-action system.

A) After wading barefoot in the lake, Erik used his shirt to dry his feet.

A) After wading barefoot in the lake, Erik used his shirt to dry his feet.

B) After wading barefoot in the lake, Erik used his glasses to dry his feet.

A) After wading barefoot in the lake, Erik used his shirt to dry his feet.

B) After wading barefoot in the lake, Erik used his glasses to dry his feet.

Watson?

A) After wading barefoot in the lake, Erik used his shirt to dry his feet.

B) After wading barefoot in the lake, Erik used his glasses to dry his feet.

Watson?

Performance of hierarchies

Performance of hierarchiesPe

rform

ance

met

ric

1 Level

2 Levels3 Levels

Existing systems

Performance of hierarchiesPe

rform

ance

met

ric

1 Level

2 Levels3 Levels

Existing systems

3 Levels

1 Level

2 Levels

Our system

Future

1903:The first flight was only 59 secs and covered less than 100 feet

1919:First nonstop trans-atlantic flight.

Thank You