ActInf GuestStream 079.1 ~ Ryota Kanai: "Meta-Representations as Representations of Processes"
"Meta-Representations as Representations of Processes"
Ryota Kanai, Ryota Takatsuki, and Ippei Fujisawa
https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/zg27u
In this study, we explore how the notion of meta-representations in Higher-Order Theories (HOT) of consciousness can be implemented in computational models. HOT suggests that consciousness emerges from meta-representations, which are representations of first-order sensory representations. However, translating this abstract concept into a concrete computational model, such as those used in artificial intelligence, presents a theoretical challenge. For example, a simplistic interpretation of meta-representation as a representation of representation makes the notion rather trivial and ubiquitous. Here, we propose a refined interpretation of meta-representations. Contrary to the simplistic view of meta-representations as mere transformations of the first-order representational states or confidence estimates, we argue that meta-representations are representations of the processes that generate first-order representations. This presents a process-oriented view whereby meta-representations capture the qualitative aspect of how sensory information is transformed into first-order representations. To concretely illustrate and operationalize thus formulated notion of meta-representation, we constructed "meta-networks" designed to explicitly model meta-representations within deep learning architectures. Specifically, we constructed meta-networks by implementing autoencoders of first-order neural networks. In this architecture, the latent spaces embedding those first-order networks correspond to the meta-representations of first-order networks. By applying meta-networks to embed neural networks trained to encode visual and auditory datasets, we show that the meta-representations of first-order networks successfully capture the qualitative aspects of those networks by separating the visual and auditory networks in the meta-representation space. We argue that such meta-representations would be useful for quantitatively compare and contrast the qualitative differences of computational processes. While whether such meta-representational systems exist in the human brain remains an open question, this formulation of meta-representation offers a new empirically testable hypothesis that there are brain regions that represent the processes of transforming a representation in one brain region to a representation in another brain region. Furthermore, this form of meta-representations might underlie our ability to describe the qualitative aspect of sensory experience or qualia.
Active Inference Institute information:
Website: https://activeinference.org/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/InferenceActive
Discord: https://discord.gg/8VNKNp4jtx
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ActiveInference/
Active Inference Livestreams: https://coda.io/@active-inference-institute/livestreams
CSID: ebb7a10035fed94d
Content Managed by ContentSafe.co
-
16:14
CarlCrusher
20 hours agoSkinwalker's Evil Twin - Beyond Skinwalker Ranch Behind the Scenes Season 1 ep 2
36K12 -
58:35
Crime Circus
1 day agoMackenzie Shirilla KlDNAPPED!! True Crime Documentary!
51.6K14 -
8:03
Bearing
23 hours agoE-Safety Karen INVENTS Elon Musk HARASSMENT While LEAKING Private Details!
51.9K78 -
17:16
Clownfish TV
1 day agoMedia Melting Down Over Mainstream Media Meltdown...
91.9K74 -
1:11
Gamazda
21 hours agoFlight of the Bumblebee - Rimsky-Korsakov
91.9K73 -
1:00:21
MYLUNCHBREAK CHANNEL PAGE
22 hours agoA Little Season in New York City
88.3K81 -
11:56
China Uncensored
23 hours agoThe Philippines Threaten War with China
72.8K60 -
33:00
Degenerate Jay
1 day agoThe James Bond Games Have Been Lost To Time
41.5K8 -
29:11
The Why Files
1 day agoMystery in Cisco Grove: Don Shrum’s Encounter with UFOs, Aliens and Robots
61.2K30 -
2:26:44
Mally_Mouse
19 hours agoLet's Play -- Crowd Control Minecraft
59.2K6