From Planes to Brains
Building AI the Wright Way


Scott Brown + Dileep George
Roadmap
Philosophy
Roadmap
Philosophy
Roadmap   Science
Philosophy
Roadmap   Science
          Engineering
Philosophy
Roadmap   Science
          Engineering
Invention
Humans have been
inventing for a long time
?
?
?
Flight circa 1900
Flight circa 1900
 replicate natural phenomena
Flight circa 1900
 replicate natural phenomena
 high level of public excitement
Flight circa 1900
 replicate natural phenomena
 high level of public excitement
 many approaches and teams
Flight circa 1900
 replicate natural phenomena
 high level of public excitement
 many approaches and teams
 government and private funding
Flight circa 1900
 replicate natural phenomena
 high level of public excitement
 many approaches and teams
 government and private funding
 lots of crackpots
Flight circa 1900
 replicate natural phenomena
 high level of public excitement
 many approaches and teams
 government and private funding
 lots of crackpots
 experts arguing it can’t be done
Flight circa 1900
 replicate natural phenomena
 high level of public excitement
 many approaches and teams
 government and private funding
 lots of crackpots
 experts arguing it can’t be done
20 11
Flighti rc a 1900
        circa
A  Ic
 replicate natural phenomena
 high level of public excitement
 many approaches and teams
 government and private funding
 lots of crackpots
 experts arguing it can’t be done
{
                   Movement
           Flapping            Gliding
          Freq.       Amp.        Pos.
                      Body
          Head      Wings         Tail
Flight                Bones

                    Muscles

                    Feathers
         Contour      Down       Bristle

         Vane      Barbule     Barbicels
{
                           Behavior
                           Cognition
                       Perception
                 Inter-region connectivity
                    Cortical Columns
Intelligence   Networks of Simple Neurons

               Synapses       Learning Rules
               Dendrites     Spines    Spikes
                    Glia               Ion

                           Proteins
Old brain
Neocortex



            Old brain
Common set of principles
Face   Non-face
Face     Non-face


  256 1024
Number of seconds in a human’s life: 3153600000
Assumptions   Learning efficiency   Generality
Assumptions   Learning efficiency   Generality
Assumptions   Learning efficiency   Generality
Assumptions   Learning efficiency   Generality
Neocortex works on
  several different
    modalities
Neocortex works on
  several different
    modalities

       +
Neocortex learns
   efficiently
Neocortex works on
  several different
    modalities

       +
Neocortex learns
   efficiently

        +
    Necortical
   structure is
 largely uniform
Neocortex works on
  several different
    modalities
                         A common
       +
                       assumption-set
Neocortex learns         works well
   efficiently         for a large set of
                          problems
        +
    Necortical
   structure is
 largely uniform
What are the algorithms?
What are the algorithms?
✓What are the assumptions?
Philosophy
Roadmap   Science
          Engineering
Philosophy
Roadmap   Science
          Engineering
Behavior
            Cognition
        Perception
  Inter-region connectivity
     Cortical Columns
Networks of Simple Neurons

Synapses       Learning Rules
Dendrites     Spines    Spikes
     Glia               Ion

            Proteins
What is the right level of
     abstraction?
Information processing
Information processing
Information processing



Communication between
     neurons
Information processing



Communication between
     neurons


     Staying alive
Behavior
            Cognition
        Perception
  Inter-region connectivity
     Cortical Columns
Networks of Simple Neurons

Synapses       Learning Rules
Dendrites     Spines    Spikes
     Glia               Ion

            Proteins
Behavior
            Cognition
        Perception
  Inter-region connectivity
     Cortical Columns
Networks of Simple Neurons

Synapses       Learning Rules
Dendrites     Spines    Spikes
     Glia               Ion

            Proteins
Behavior
            Cognition
        Perception
  Inter-region connectivity
     Cortical Columns
Networks of Simple Neurons

Synapses       Learning Rules
Dendrites     Spines    Spikes
     Glia               Ion

            Proteins
Behavior
            Cognition
        Perception
  Inter-region connectivity
     Cortical Columns
Networks of Simple Neurons

Synapses       Learning Rules
Dendrites     Spines    Spikes
     Glia               Ion

            Proteins
What is the right level of
     abstraction?
What is the right level of
     abstraction?
Neocortex



                                Computational
                                 Framework
Physics of World’s Data
Neocortex
Source of assumptions/
     constraints
Neocortex
                        Source of assumptions/
                             constraints




 Physics of World’s Data
 To find correspondence
with neocortex properties
Neocortex
                        Source of assumptions/
                             constraints




                                           Computational Framework
 Physics of World’s Data
                                           Understand why neocortex
 To find correspondence
                                           does what it does to design
with neocortex properties
                                                  algorithms
Observed hierarchy
              in the cortex




   Hierarchical          Efficiency and re-use.
structure of data       Dynamic programming.
Spikes




?            ?
Blue brain project
Machine learning, statistics
Brain corporation
Did Wright brothers observe birds to
learn flying?
“Airplanes don’t flap their wings”
“Airplanes don’t flap their wings”
“Airplanes don’t flap their wings”


This is precisely what the Wrights learned
by observing birds!
Philosophy
Roadmap   Science
          Engineering
Philosophy
Roadmap   Science
          Engineering
Kite
Kite   Glider
Wind
         Kite   Glider
Tunnel
Engineering process


                          Biological circuit                        Explanation for
            Biological                                                biological
                             model for
           Constraints                                               phenomena
                              inference



                                                 Non-biological      Predictions
                                               learning algorithm

 Hard                      Mathematical
          Computational                                               Empirical
Problem                     model for
          Requirements                                                 results
                            inference
Engineering process


                          Biological circuit                        Explanation for
            Biological                                                biological
                             model for
           Constraints                                               phenomena
                              inference



                                                 Non-biological      Predictions
                                               learning algorithm

 Hard                      Mathematical
          Computational                                               Empirical
Problem                     model for
          Requirements                                                 results
                            inference
picture of
bird wings
picture of
bird wings
picture of
bird wings
Banking turn
Banking turn   Wing warping
I




                     II/III




                      IV



                      V




                      VI




Biological circuit
    diagram
I




                     II/III




                      IV



                      V




                      VI




Biological circuit
    diagram
Mathematical model
(1) Coincidence
    likelihood




(2) Markov chain
    likelihood




(3) Coincidence
     Belief




 (4) Feedback
   messages
2       D
                        3       D



                            D


                D                            D
                                    D
    D

            D
                                    D            D

            D                                D

                D   D




                                        Belief

1                       4
I




II/III




 IV



 V




 VI
Davide Maltoni
Solving problems in the right order
Powerful motor   Control
Is detailed brain connectivity a required
                first step?
We are building a vision system first...
We are building a vision system first...

because, higher level reasoning requires
grounding in a perception-action system.
A) After wading barefoot in the lake,
  Erik used his shirt to dry his feet.
A) After wading barefoot in the lake,
  Erik used his shirt to dry his feet.

B) After wading barefoot in the lake,
Erik used his glasses to dry his feet.
A) After wading barefoot in the lake,
  Erik used his shirt to dry his feet.

B) After wading barefoot in the lake,
Erik used his glasses to dry his feet.

Watson?
A) After wading barefoot in the lake,
  Erik used his shirt to dry his feet.

B) After wading barefoot in the lake,
Erik used his glasses to dry his feet.

Watson?
Performance of hierarchies
Performance of hierarchies
    Performance metric




                         3 Levels
                         2 Levels


                         1 Level



  Existing systems
Performance of hierarchies


                                           3 Levels
    Performance metric




                         3 Levels
                         2 Levels          2 Levels


                         1 Level           1 Level



  Existing systems                  Our system
Future
1903:
The first flight was only 59 secs and
covered less than 100 feet


1919:
First nonstop trans-atlantic flight.
Thank You

Vicarious Systems at Singularity Summit 2011