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

The hierarchical operational architectonics (OA) framework offers an alternative to common machine consciousness methods by proposing a theory-driven approach based on the brain's functional architecture. It describes the neurophysiological basis of phenomenal consciousness as a hierarchy of brain operations captured in the electromagnetic field. The authors argue that engineering machine consciousness requires duplicating this hierarchy and its rules. They hope the framework will inspire mathematicians and computer scientists to formalize these principles, which are the building blocks of consciousness and thought.

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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.