John Batali - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by John Batali
Introspection is the process of thinking about one's own thoughts and feelings. In this paper... more Introspection is the process of thinking about one's own thoughts and feelings. In this paper, I discuss recent attempts to make computational systems that exhibit introspective behavior: [Smith, 982], [Weyhrauch, 1978], and [Doyle, 1980]. Each presents a system capable of manipulating representations of its own program and current context. I argue that introspective ability is crucial for intelligent systems ??thout it an agent cannot represent certain problems that it must be able to solve. A theory of intelligent action would describe how and why certain actions intelligently achieve an agent's goals. The agent would both embody and represent this theory; it would be implemented as the program for the agent; and the importance of introspection suggests that the agent represent its theory of action to itself
How can we improve people’s work by adding digital metadata to their environment? Metadata, const... more How can we improve people’s work by adding digital metadata to their environment? Metadata, construed broadly, is information about objects and their related events and processes. The most familiar forms of metadata are subject, title, author, date and related descriptions of articles, papers and books. But the concept is comprehensive enough to include annotations found on a document, data about how a document has been used, when, by, whom and how often, and even where it is to be found on a desk or in a library. My objective in this research project is to explore how to digitally augment work using AI techniques to track some of the significant interactions that occur in them. PROBLEM Metadata has long been used to augment physical environments. Libraries, in particular, need a method by which books and other artifacts can be efficiently tracked and identified by multiple attributes. Standards such as Open Geospatial Interoperability Standard (OGIS) have been developed to solve sp...
Introduction In this book, the philosopher John Searle presents a wide-ranging and pugnacious cri... more Introduction In this book, the philosopher John Searle presents a wide-ranging and pugnacious critique of much of mainstream cognitive science. In particular, he argues that consciousness is the "central mental phenomenon" [p. xi], and therefore the proper object of cognitive science research, yet he believes that the field has either ignored consciousness or has failed to address it adequately. Searle thinks that most of the dominant philosophical views about the mind and about consciousness are inconsistent with scientific fact or everyday experience. Searle is familiar to members of the artificial intelligence community as one of the field's most vocal critics, starting, at least, with (Searle, 1980), and his "Chinese Room" argument against the possibility of "strong AI." While he certainly still believes that a mind is more than just a suitably programmed digital computer, he is committed to the view that mental phenomena --- specifically including conscious
Some well understood and well justified algorithms for early visual processing must be implemente... more Some well understood and well justified algorithms for early visual processing must be implemented in hardware for later visual processing to be studied. This paper describes the design and hardware implementation of a particular operator of visual processing. I constructed an NMOS VLSI circuit that computes the gradient, and detects zero-crossings, in a digital video image in real time. The algorithms employed by the chip, the design process that led to it, and its capabilites and limitations are discussed. For hardware to be a useful tool for AI, designing it must be as much like programming as possible. This paper concludes with some discussion of how such a goal can be met
Approaches to the Evolution of Language Social and …, 1998
(1998) Batali. Approaches to the Evolution of Language Social and Cognitive Bases. Read by resear... more (1998) Batali. Approaches to the Evolution of Language Social and Cognitive Bases. Read by researchers in: 67% Computer and Information Science, 33% Linguistics. The aim of the paper is to show that systematic communicative structures can emerge in a population of agents ...
IEEE Expert, 1997
ABSTRACT An abstract is not available.
this paper is an investigation of how recursive communication systems can come to be. In particul... more this paper is an investigation of how recursive communication systems can come to be. In particular, the investigation explores the possibility that such a system could emerge among the members of a population as the result of a process I characterize as "negotiation," because each individual both contributes to, and conforms with, the system 1
In order for learning to improve the adaptiveness of an animal's behavior and thus direct ev... more In order for learning to improve the adaptiveness of an animal's behavior and thus direct evolution in the way Baldwin suggested, the learning mechanism must incorporate an innate evaluation of how the animal's actions influence its reproductive fitness. For example, many circumstances that damage an animal, or otherwise reduce its fitness are painful and tend to be avoided. We refer to the mechanism by which an animal evaluates the fitness consequences of its actions as a "motivation system", and argue that such a system must evolve along with the behaviors it evaluates. We describe simulations of the evolution of populations of agents instantiating a number of different architectures for generating action and learning, in worlds of differing complexity. We find that in some cases, members of the populations evolve motivation systems that are accurate enough to direct learning so as to increase the fitness of the actions the agents perform. Furthermore, the moti...
Recent studies have suggested that environmental sound recognition shares many of the same proces... more Recent studies have suggested that environmental sound recognition shares many of the same processing demands and possibly neural resources as language comprehension. Some investigators have suggested that the tight correlations between linguistic and environmental sound deficits observed in aphasic patients as well as the spatial overlap in functional activation patterns shown by fMRI may be due to linguistic mediation of environmental sound processing. Here, we show that covert naming of environmental sound recognition exerts an additional processing load above and beyond that used for recognition alone. Furthermore, naming does not increase recognition accuracy above the levels for recognition alone. Thus, linguistic mediation of environmental sound recognition appears not to be an important or even natural component of most participants’ processing strategies.
Proceedings of the Sixteenth Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society
Introspection is the process of thinking about one's own thoughts and feelings. In this paper... more Introspection is the process of thinking about one's own thoughts and feelings. In this paper, I discuss recent attempts to make computational systems that exhibit introspective behavior: [Smith, 982], [Weyhrauch, 1978], and [Doyle, 1980]. Each presents a system capable of manipulating representations of its own program and current context. I argue that introspective ability is crucial for intelligent systems ??thout it an agent cannot represent certain problems that it must be able to solve. A theory of intelligent action would describe how and why certain actions intelligently achieve an agent's goals. The agent would both embody and represent this theory; it would be implemented as the program for the agent; and the importance of introspection suggests that the agent represent its theory of action to itself.
Some well understood and well justified algorithms for early visual processing must be implemente... more Some well understood and well justified algorithms for early visual processing must be implemented in hardware for later visual processing to be studied. This paper describes the design and hardware implementation of a particular operator of visual processing. I constructed an NMOS VLSI circuit that computes the gradient, and detects zero-crossings, in a digital video image in real time. The algorithms employed by the chip, the design process that led to it, and its capabilites and limitations are discussed. For hardware to be a useful tool for AI, designing it must be as much like programming as possible. This paper concludes with some discussion of how such a goal can be met.
Animal trails ought to be investigated as an archetypal Intentional phenomenon. A trail is Intent... more Animal trails ought to be investigated as an archetypal Intentional phenomenon. A trail is Intentional in that it has significance beyond its immediate physical properties, and because the use of trails involves characteristic Intentional states: an animal must in some sense be seeking a destination, the animal must be able to determine which trail it ought to take, must be able to follow it, and must feel some urgency about staying on the trail. Trails evolved along with the abilities to use them. Thus trails and trail-use are not just good exemplars of Intentionality: trails are an archetypal form of Intentionality. It is likely that in some animals there are special brain mechanisms for interacting with trails, and these mechanisms, devoted as they are to an Intentional phenomenon, can shed light on the brain's implementation of other aspects of Intentionality. To understand the phenomenon of Intentionally we must look at as many exemplars as we can. Trails are especially wor...
This manual describes the Design Procedure Language (DPL) for LSI design. DPL creates and maintai... more This manual describes the Design Procedure Language (DPL) for LSI design. DPL creates and maintains a representation of a design in a hierarchically organized, object-oriented LISP data-base. Designing in DPL involves writing programs (Design Procedures) which construct and manipulate descriptions of a project. The programs use a call-by-keyword syntax and may be entered interactively or written by other programs. DPL is the layout language for the LISP-based Integrated Circuit design system (LISPIC) being developed at the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at MIT. The LISPIC design environment will combine a large set of design tools that interact through a common data-base. This manual is for prospective users of the DPL and covers the information necessary to design a project with the language. The philosophy and goals of the LISPIC system as well as some details of the DPL data-base are also discussed.
Introspection is the process of thinking about one's own thoughts and feelings. In this paper... more Introspection is the process of thinking about one's own thoughts and feelings. In this paper, I discuss recent attempts to make computational systems that exhibit introspective behavior: [Smith, 982], [Weyhrauch, 1978], and [Doyle, 1980]. Each presents a system capable of manipulating representations of its own program and current context. I argue that introspective ability is crucial for intelligent systems ??thout it an agent cannot represent certain problems that it must be able to solve. A theory of intelligent action would describe how and why certain actions intelligently achieve an agent's goals. The agent would both embody and represent this theory; it would be implemented as the program for the agent; and the importance of introspection suggests that the agent represent its theory of action to itself
How can we improve people’s work by adding digital metadata to their environment? Metadata, const... more How can we improve people’s work by adding digital metadata to their environment? Metadata, construed broadly, is information about objects and their related events and processes. The most familiar forms of metadata are subject, title, author, date and related descriptions of articles, papers and books. But the concept is comprehensive enough to include annotations found on a document, data about how a document has been used, when, by, whom and how often, and even where it is to be found on a desk or in a library. My objective in this research project is to explore how to digitally augment work using AI techniques to track some of the significant interactions that occur in them. PROBLEM Metadata has long been used to augment physical environments. Libraries, in particular, need a method by which books and other artifacts can be efficiently tracked and identified by multiple attributes. Standards such as Open Geospatial Interoperability Standard (OGIS) have been developed to solve sp...
Introduction In this book, the philosopher John Searle presents a wide-ranging and pugnacious cri... more Introduction In this book, the philosopher John Searle presents a wide-ranging and pugnacious critique of much of mainstream cognitive science. In particular, he argues that consciousness is the "central mental phenomenon" [p. xi], and therefore the proper object of cognitive science research, yet he believes that the field has either ignored consciousness or has failed to address it adequately. Searle thinks that most of the dominant philosophical views about the mind and about consciousness are inconsistent with scientific fact or everyday experience. Searle is familiar to members of the artificial intelligence community as one of the field's most vocal critics, starting, at least, with (Searle, 1980), and his "Chinese Room" argument against the possibility of "strong AI." While he certainly still believes that a mind is more than just a suitably programmed digital computer, he is committed to the view that mental phenomena --- specifically including conscious
Some well understood and well justified algorithms for early visual processing must be implemente... more Some well understood and well justified algorithms for early visual processing must be implemented in hardware for later visual processing to be studied. This paper describes the design and hardware implementation of a particular operator of visual processing. I constructed an NMOS VLSI circuit that computes the gradient, and detects zero-crossings, in a digital video image in real time. The algorithms employed by the chip, the design process that led to it, and its capabilites and limitations are discussed. For hardware to be a useful tool for AI, designing it must be as much like programming as possible. This paper concludes with some discussion of how such a goal can be met
Approaches to the Evolution of Language Social and …, 1998
(1998) Batali. Approaches to the Evolution of Language Social and Cognitive Bases. Read by resear... more (1998) Batali. Approaches to the Evolution of Language Social and Cognitive Bases. Read by researchers in: 67% Computer and Information Science, 33% Linguistics. The aim of the paper is to show that systematic communicative structures can emerge in a population of agents ...
IEEE Expert, 1997
ABSTRACT An abstract is not available.
this paper is an investigation of how recursive communication systems can come to be. In particul... more this paper is an investigation of how recursive communication systems can come to be. In particular, the investigation explores the possibility that such a system could emerge among the members of a population as the result of a process I characterize as "negotiation," because each individual both contributes to, and conforms with, the system 1
In order for learning to improve the adaptiveness of an animal's behavior and thus direct ev... more In order for learning to improve the adaptiveness of an animal's behavior and thus direct evolution in the way Baldwin suggested, the learning mechanism must incorporate an innate evaluation of how the animal's actions influence its reproductive fitness. For example, many circumstances that damage an animal, or otherwise reduce its fitness are painful and tend to be avoided. We refer to the mechanism by which an animal evaluates the fitness consequences of its actions as a "motivation system", and argue that such a system must evolve along with the behaviors it evaluates. We describe simulations of the evolution of populations of agents instantiating a number of different architectures for generating action and learning, in worlds of differing complexity. We find that in some cases, members of the populations evolve motivation systems that are accurate enough to direct learning so as to increase the fitness of the actions the agents perform. Furthermore, the moti...
Recent studies have suggested that environmental sound recognition shares many of the same proces... more Recent studies have suggested that environmental sound recognition shares many of the same processing demands and possibly neural resources as language comprehension. Some investigators have suggested that the tight correlations between linguistic and environmental sound deficits observed in aphasic patients as well as the spatial overlap in functional activation patterns shown by fMRI may be due to linguistic mediation of environmental sound processing. Here, we show that covert naming of environmental sound recognition exerts an additional processing load above and beyond that used for recognition alone. Furthermore, naming does not increase recognition accuracy above the levels for recognition alone. Thus, linguistic mediation of environmental sound recognition appears not to be an important or even natural component of most participants’ processing strategies.
Proceedings of the Sixteenth Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society
Introspection is the process of thinking about one's own thoughts and feelings. In this paper... more Introspection is the process of thinking about one's own thoughts and feelings. In this paper, I discuss recent attempts to make computational systems that exhibit introspective behavior: [Smith, 982], [Weyhrauch, 1978], and [Doyle, 1980]. Each presents a system capable of manipulating representations of its own program and current context. I argue that introspective ability is crucial for intelligent systems ??thout it an agent cannot represent certain problems that it must be able to solve. A theory of intelligent action would describe how and why certain actions intelligently achieve an agent's goals. The agent would both embody and represent this theory; it would be implemented as the program for the agent; and the importance of introspection suggests that the agent represent its theory of action to itself.
Some well understood and well justified algorithms for early visual processing must be implemente... more Some well understood and well justified algorithms for early visual processing must be implemented in hardware for later visual processing to be studied. This paper describes the design and hardware implementation of a particular operator of visual processing. I constructed an NMOS VLSI circuit that computes the gradient, and detects zero-crossings, in a digital video image in real time. The algorithms employed by the chip, the design process that led to it, and its capabilites and limitations are discussed. For hardware to be a useful tool for AI, designing it must be as much like programming as possible. This paper concludes with some discussion of how such a goal can be met.
Animal trails ought to be investigated as an archetypal Intentional phenomenon. A trail is Intent... more Animal trails ought to be investigated as an archetypal Intentional phenomenon. A trail is Intentional in that it has significance beyond its immediate physical properties, and because the use of trails involves characteristic Intentional states: an animal must in some sense be seeking a destination, the animal must be able to determine which trail it ought to take, must be able to follow it, and must feel some urgency about staying on the trail. Trails evolved along with the abilities to use them. Thus trails and trail-use are not just good exemplars of Intentionality: trails are an archetypal form of Intentionality. It is likely that in some animals there are special brain mechanisms for interacting with trails, and these mechanisms, devoted as they are to an Intentional phenomenon, can shed light on the brain's implementation of other aspects of Intentionality. To understand the phenomenon of Intentionally we must look at as many exemplars as we can. Trails are especially wor...
This manual describes the Design Procedure Language (DPL) for LSI design. DPL creates and maintai... more This manual describes the Design Procedure Language (DPL) for LSI design. DPL creates and maintains a representation of a design in a hierarchically organized, object-oriented LISP data-base. Designing in DPL involves writing programs (Design Procedures) which construct and manipulate descriptions of a project. The programs use a call-by-keyword syntax and may be entered interactively or written by other programs. DPL is the layout language for the LISP-based Integrated Circuit design system (LISPIC) being developed at the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at MIT. The LISPIC design environment will combine a large set of design tools that interact through a common data-base. This manual is for prospective users of the DPL and covers the information necessary to design a project with the language. The philosophy and goals of the LISPIC system as well as some details of the DPL data-base are also discussed.