A Cognitive Architecture that Combines Internal Simulation
with a Global Workspace
Murray Shanahan
Abstract
This paper proposes a brain-inspired cognitive architecture that incorporates
approximations to the concepts of consciousness, imagination, and emotion.
To emulate the empirically established cognitive efficacy of conscious as
opposed to non-conscious information processing in the mammalian brain, the
architecture adopts a model of information flow from global workspace theory.
Cognitive functions such as anticipation and planning are realised through
internal simulation of interaction with the environment. Action selection,
in both actual and internally simulated interaction with the environment,
is mediated by affect. An implementation of the architecture is described
which is based on weightless neurons and is used to control a simulated robot.