Polyscheme : a cognitive architecture for intergrating multiple representation and inference schemes

In order to understand and create human-level intelligence I have developed the Polyscheme cognitive architecture to build systems that combine several representation and inference schemes when they think. Polyscheme is based on three principles. First, different (aspects of) situations that intelligent systems must deal with are best modeled with different schemes for representing knowledge and making inferences. Polyscheme includes several "specialists" such that each models a particular aspect of the world with its own (possibly unique) representation and inference techniques. Second, specialists must communicate with other specialists frequently so that each specialist uses the most complete, accurate and relevant information when it deals with a situation. Specialists in Polyscheme communicate and combine information by simultaneously concentrating on the same focus of attention. Finally, because information about some aspects of a situation is more important than information about others and because the order that specialists focus on those aspects is important, a system of focused specialists must have mechanisms that decide where to focus. Polyscheme's specialists, especially the reflective specialist, guide the focus of attention and thereby implement inference schemes using an "attraction" mechanism to specify their preferred foci. Polyscheme enables multiple inference techniques to be integrated in dealing with a situation because each inference technique can be implemented with one or more focus schemes. I describe how to implement several important inference techniques (e.g., script matching, backtracking search, reason maintenance, stochastic simulation and counterfactual reasoning) as focus schemes.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture. Program in Media Arts and Sciences.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2002

Author dc:creator

• Cassimatis, Nicholas L. (Nicholas Louis), 1971-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Marvin Minsky.

• Architecture. Program in Media Arts and Sciences.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/8325

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/8325