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The Basics – Redefining Information, Knowledge, Intelligence, and Artificial Intelligence Using Only the Adaptive Systems Theory

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The Basics – Redefining Information, Knowledge, Intelligence, and Artificial Intelligence Using Only the Adaptive Systems Theory Biologically Inspired Cognitive Architectures II: Papers from the AAAI Fall Symposium (FS-09-01) Back to the Basics – Redefining Information, Knowledge, Intelligence, and Artificial Intelligence Using Only the Adaptive Systems Theory Vasile Coman XCLSoft -- Principal 29 Middlesex Drive, Littleton, MA 01460 [email protected] which biological organisms are processing information received from their environment. Essential to these Abstract processes is that each organism has as its main existence goal the protection of its viability. As a result, many Decades ago, Alan Turing proposed a test to show if a machine has intelligence, a test that has yet to be replaced researchers like Ross Ashby (Ashby 1952), Stafford Beer by a more comprehensive theory. The same test however, (Beer, 1972), Jay Forrester (Forrester. 1961), and Maturana says nothing about what is intelligence. This paper proposes (Maturana and Varela, 1973) developed theories and a definition based on a system ability to deal with models that tried to capture a system ability to survive in a uncertainty, which is the main attribute of our intelligence. changing environment. It introduces a new adaptive system theory and the Viable Complex System (VCS), concept that is applied to Biological Organisms organisms, social organizations, and to the design and architecture of IT systems. All VCSs share a dual structure In our theory of adaptive systems we start with a simple built on two function types: operations (i.e. resource internal structure for biological organisms: the entire body processing) and change (adaptability). A system adapts by is made out of cells, organized in a hierarchy which has on learning from the interactions with environment on how to its lowest level the cells forming tissues, tissues forming improve its chances to survive. All systems sharing organs, organs forming systems of organs, and systems of common operations are part of a realm. Obviously, we may organs forming the entire body. have systems which could live in two realms at the same time. In conclusion, we define information as the interaction between two similar VCSs, and intelligence as a property of adaptive systems which exist in the context of two realms (i.e. humans being biological organisms and members of the society). We extend the model to quantify intelligence through the use of a new term called information density. This concept associates complexity of the logic embedded in a message, especially the one related to changes, with the system ability to process that logic in its quest to survive. The more intelligent the system, the better it is at extracting information towards higher efficiency and higher viability. We are closing the paper with the presentation of two case studies from our practice that shows how this model can be applied in the IT when designing enterprise systems. Hierarchies in Biology and Society Figure 1. Physical structure – organisms have their cells There is very little doubt that our ability to define organized in virtual hierarchies intelligence lies in our success to capture the processes by From the information processing viewpoint the cells are of two types: nervous cells responsible for integrating the Copyright © 2009, Association for the Advancement of Artificial command and control functions and normal cells Intelligence (www.aaai.org). All rights reserved. responsible with processing resources. Normal cells can be 39 also split further into sensor cells and motor cells. Their environment in which they operate also follows a similar numbers are in billions and trillions. hierarchy. Ecosystems are built in layers based on the food While human body has many other parts like organs or chain cycle, while society is built on layers the financial tissues, the only existing entities which are truly processing accumulation cycle. At the top, all ecosystems have the information and transforming nutritional resources are the most efficient predators, while lower operational layer cells. Otherwise said, they are the only ones having a true uses plants and other unicellular organisms to carry out the operational role, while the rest of entities (i.e. organs) are primary transformation of resources. They take energy (i.e. virtual structures made possible by the command and solar, heat from deep ocean vents) and transform it into control function of the nervous system. basic nutritional food, a process which is the starting point In this model, all cells are participating in two major for the entire food chain. flows. One is the resource transformation flow—it uses In society, at the top level, government is the one resources to extract and accumulate energy that runs the responsible with ruling the society by issuing laws, “operations” of the entire body—and the other one is the enforcing them, and protecting its members. On the lowest information processing flow—it uses information layer, acting as the primary financial accumulation entity, received from environment to protect and improve the is the family. Nevertheless, family plays a dual role, as a efficiency of the resource transformation process, which is biological and a social unit. Between government and the basis of its existence. Within information flow, there family there are two other layers which are playing an are two smaller groups of normal cells playing an important role in controlling the resource transformation important role: sensory cells and motor cells. The first cycle: businesses and investors. Businesses are groups of group is the primary receiver of information from society members which are assembled for higher environment; the second group executes instructions from efficiency, while investors are normally those providing the nervous system, once it is done processing. financial resources. The entire socio-economic hierarchy closes the cycle between the top and the bottom layers by Socio-economic Organizations the democratic election of government officials. This is a process performed by all active members of a society. While it has far less complexity, an organization has the same type of hierarchical structure. Competition is the only process that drives the The top layer, where the CEO and a C-level team reside, adaptability A group of similar biological organisms, with helps with top decisions. Between the bottom operational plenty of food available and living isolated in a static layer—the value chain for resource transformation—and environment never needs to evolve. It could remain the C-level there are at least two more management layers: unchanged for millions of years. When environment developing a change layer (i.e. product development) and changes and is populated by many other organisms, all introducing operational changes layer (i.e. change competing for the same resources, there is always pressure management). Similar to organisms, management layers to become more efficient at finding food, at finding a mate, are responsible only with maintaining organizational or protect itself from predators. integrity and improve adaptability, without having a direct In society, the same laws apply. A static society has very contribution to the value cycle. few chances to improve its organizations, while in a free market, open to competition, businesses and individuals have to continuously adjust to succeed. Both the society and ecosystems are sharing a fundamental mechanism by which its individual members are competing. In nature, the main competition for individuals is driven by the finding of a mate. In society the same mechanism is the one that links the individual consumer to a producer. One important rule that applies in the food chain is the independence between different layers in the food chain. While the cooperation may occur at the very small group scale, the majority have no privileged status, other than the position given to them by the place in the food chain. In modern societies, the trend is to ensure the same fairness between various layers in the financial accumulation cycle. Figure 2. Physical structure—organizations share a similar structure with biological organisms Socio-economic Realm and Biological Realm From adaptability viewpoint we are aware of only two Ecosystems and society share a similar structure The types of complex systems. One type is the biological similarities between biological organisms and organism living in an ecosystem. The other type is the organizations go beyond their internal structure. The socio-economic organizations that exist in our society. We 40 call their environment the biological realm, and the socio- containing information that is not directly related to the economic realm. Both realms have in common a process resource transformation cycle, but it can be proven to be of “energy” accumulation that is shared by all its members beneficial for its long term chances to survive. and creates the competitive background. In the biological In such system, the processing of an “uncertain” realm organisms use their adaptability to increase their message always follows four steps. The first step is the efficiency in acquiring food, while in the socio-economic goal-oriented change phase, in which information is realm all organizations target the financial accumulation as evaluated for efficiency against an internal performance their main goal. The main driver that forces organizations model. During the second step, called change development to compete in the socio-economic realm is the increase in phase, information is used to decide on which path to take productivity. By using fewer resources to achieve the same in modifying operations. The developmental model used product or deliver the same service, an organization can reflects the ability to change. The third step is the increase its customer base, which leads to higher financial operational context change phase, and uses a model that accumulation and it improves its chances to survive. reflects the flexibility of existing operations. The last step, obviously is the operational phase, and uses as a model the Humans play a dual role Humans are the bridge that resource transformation cycle.
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