"Machine" consciousness and "artificial" thought: an operational architectonics model guided approach.

Summary

The hierarchical operational architectonics framework offers an alternative to common machine consciousness approaches by modeling brain functional architecture as a theory of consciousness. It describes the neurophysiological basis of phenomenal brain organization and suggests that creating machine consciousness requires duplicating all levels of the brain's electromagnetic field hierarchy. The authors hope this conceptual framework will inspire mathematicians and computer scientists to formalize the principles underlying consciousness and thought.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Instead of using low-level neurophysiology mimicking and exploratory programming methods commonly used in the machine consciousness field, the hierarchical operational architectonics (OA) framework of brain and mind functioning proposes an alternative conceptual-theoretical framework as a new direction in the area of model-driven machine (robot) consciousness engineering. The unified brain-mind theoretical OA model explicitly captures (though in an informal way) the basic essence of brain functional architecture, which indeed constitutes a theory of consciousness. The OA describes the neurophysiological basis of the phenomenal level of brain organization. In this context the problem of producing man-made "machine" consciousness and "artificial" thought is a matter of duplicating all levels of the operational architectonics hierarchy (with its inherent rules and mechanisms) found in the brain electromagnetic field. We hope that the conceptual-theoretical framework described in this paper will stimulate the interest of mathematicians and/or computer scientists to abstract and formalize principles of hierarchy of brain operations which are the building blocks for phenomenal consciousness and thought.