Neurosystem: fixing errors

My last post failed miserably. And all because I made a serious mistake by building a multi-level abstract model. We will correct it.

So what was the problem? The answer is simple. I proposed a logical model, building it using abstractions, but it was taken very literally. It turned out approximately the following:
- Let's imagine an electric current in the form of water, and an electric circuit in the form of a tube system.
- And should the water be distilled?
- This is not important, we are only interested in its properties as a liquid.
“What temperature should it be?”
“That doesn't matter either.”
- And what material are the tubes made of and how are they fastened together?
- And this is absolutely not important, it is only important that they are able to conduct water.
- No, well, if everyone begins to build such models without a scientific basis and authoritative evidence, then the habr will have to be closed. Less to you in karma!
Therefore, I repeat once again that you should not cling to the form. It is important to learn to see the content. Well, if during the reading process it becomes completely incomprehensible, then you will need to return to the buckets and stones , and then try again.

And I really hope that this post will be read only by those who are really interested in the topic and comments will be in essence, and not with requirements to provide links to authoritative sources.

There is no choice and will have to go a long way. Let's imagine that we are building an artificial intelligence system. Moreover, it should function just like a person, that is, exactly repeat all his brain activity, including consciousness.

To do this, we redraw the picture from the previous post and get the following.



Let's figure out what’s here. Let's go from the bottom up.
At the very lowest level, we have the basic set of programs responsible for initializing the system, service functions (clearing unused caches, rebuilding identities, etc.), security and protection. Immediately, all the basic parameters of the system will be continuously monitored, and in case of unauthorized interference, an attempt will be made to restore integrity, and in case of impossibility, shutdown.

The next level is also part of the serving subsystem. It contains application programs that the system itself will create in the course of its work for its convenience. For example, she can create a program that will be responsible for the ability to synthesize speech in order to communicate with us.

Next is the decision subsystem. It is she who is responsible for the reaction to external influences. It happens as follows. Based on the input parameters, a quick solution search is performed. For this, a cache is used. The local cache is the decisions that were once taken, the global cache is the opportunity to get a solution from the operator. If such a solution is not found or there is no way to use the global cache, then the input parameters are analyzed and a control signal is generated. That is, we have three functions f1 (p1, p2, ... pn), f2 (p1, p2, ..., pn) and f3 (p1, p2, ..., pn). The first returns the response from the local cache, the second from the global, the third forms the solution on its own. All results are stored in the local cache. Moreover, the more often a decision is made, the more weight it has. Thus, a “habit" is developed.

Well, the most important part is the self-monitoring subsystem. She will check all the decisions made in the background and signal that some of the decisions was wrong, forcing him to review and either lower the weight or completely exclude it from the cache.

This is a general view of the work. As we know, for the functioning of a system, three components are needed: the hardware level, the software level and energy, without which any processes are inconceivable. We reviewed the software level. Now we need to deal with the hardware. Modern computer systems are built on microcircuits that provide the transmission, processing and storage of information. The processor is responsible for executing commands, hard drives store information, everything is transmitted over the data buses in encoded form with zeros and ones. Well, electricity is used as energy.

Now we can draw an analogy. The brain is a hardware level in which there are areas that provide information storage, and areas that execute commands. This all works due to the same electricity, into which the energy absorbed by us in the form of food is converted. Well, our consciousness is the very software component.

Let us return to the question of where, nevertheless, is consciousness in the brain or outside it? To do this, we again use the analogies. I think that no one will argue with the fact that there is a physical level on which the program exists in the form of zeros and ones, and a virtual one, on which it is already a certain entity capable of functioning. The link is the program code. These levels are closely interconnected, but at the same time, the program has its embodiment on each of them. Exactly with consciousness. It cannot exist without a brain, but at the same time, brain activity is not just a set of neurons and connections between them, but a kind of virtual entity that can be considered separately.

Next, we will analyze how the system can learn and reprogram itself.

And finally. You should not rely on authoritative opinions when questions concern consciousness. After all, who, besides you, will be able to most accurately tell you warmly or coldly, sadly or joyfully, painfully or pleasantly. All the answers are inside, you just need to learn to see them. But in order to accept something new, one must first abandon the old views. At the time of Giordano Bruno, society was not ready to accept the new. Its end is sad, and the example is indicative.