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The Future Internet as a Global Brain:
an update of the theory
Francis Heylighen
Evolution, Complexity and Cognition group
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Definition of the Global Brain
Global system of collective intelligence/distributed cognition
Capable of information-processing, problem-solving, decision-
making
Network of connections between human and artificial agents
Supported by the Internet
Becomes every year more encompassing and more intelligent
On the verge of a metasystem transition
To an inconceivably large intelligence
“Singularity”
=> Nervous system for the planetary superorganism
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The basic analogy
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History of Global Brain Research 19th century
Emile Durkheim, Herbert Spencer– society as organism– “collective consciousness”– No clear structure for social “nervous system” yet
First half 20th century
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin: – “noosphere” = planetary layer of thoughts and communications
Paul Otlet: – Belgian founder of information science– Envisaged web-like organization of all knowledge
H.G. Wells: – “World Brain” = global institution to gather and publicize all
knowledge
1945-1995
Vannevar Bush (1945), Douglas Engelbart (1960), Ted Nelson (1974):
Hypermedia =– Documents connected by direct, associative links
– External memory
Tim Berners-Lee (1991):
hypermedia + internet = world-wide web
Documents can reside in different locations
Peter Russell (1982), Joël de Rosnay (1989), Gottfried Mayer-Kress (1995):
global brain emerging from the internet
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Hypermedia: links between documents
Our p lans are going ahead, Heylighen is getting tickets, so let's putthat in in hard pencil, but keep your eraser handy a ll the same. My life isreal ly hectic, and I won 't be in a sane place ti ll mid-April . We'll p indown the detai ls later, but a t this po int we were considering Val only tota lk on "The Metasystem Transition as the Quantum of Evolution". Th is isthe theoretical base to the PCP, which I described the form of in my ta lkto WESS. It's basica lly between Francis and Val how would like to talk, orboth, or what.
Our p lans are going ahead, Heylighen is getting tickets, so let's putthat in in hard pencil, but keep your eraser handy a ll the same. My life isreal ly hectic, and I won 't be in a sane place ti ll mid-April . We'll p indown the detai ls later, but a t this po int we were considering Val only tota lk on "The Metasystem Transition as the Quantum of Evolution". Th is isthe theoretical base to the PCP, which I described the form of in my ta lkto WESS. It's basica lly between Francis and Val how would like to talk, orboth, or what.
Our p lans are going ahead, Heylighen is getting tickets, so let's putthat in in hard pencil, but keep your eraser handy a ll the same. My life isreal ly hectic, and I won 't be in a sane place ti ll mid-April . We'll p indown the detai ls later, but a t this po int we were considering Val only tota lk on "The Metasystem Transition as the Quantum of Evolution". Th is isthe theoretical base to the PCP, which I described the form of in my ta lkto WESS. It's basica lly between Francis and Val how would like to talk, orboth, or what.
Our plans are go ing ahead, Heylighen is getting tickets, so le t' s putthat in in hard pencil , but keep your eraser handy all the same. My li fe isrea lly hectic, and I won't be in a sane place till mid-Apri l. We'l l pindown the deta ils la ter, but at this poin t we were considering Val only totalk on "The Metasystem Transi tion as the Quantum of Evolution". This isthe theoretical base to the PCP, which I described the form of in my talkto WESS. It's basically between Francis and Val how would like to talk, orboth, or what.
Our p lans are going ahead, Heylighen is getting tickets, so let's putthat in in hard pencil, but keep your eraser handy a ll the same. My life isreal ly hectic, and I won 't be in a sane place ti ll mid-April . We'll p indown the detai ls later, but a t this po int we were considering Val only tota lk on "The Metasystem Transition as the Quantum of Evolution". Th is isthe theoretical base to the PCP, which I described the form of in my ta lkto WESS. It's basica lly between Francis and Val how would like to talk, orboth, or what.
Our p lans are going ahead, Heylighen is getting tickets, so let's putthat in in hard pencil, but keep your eraser handy a ll the same. My life isreal ly hectic, and I won 't be in a sane place ti ll mid-April . We'll p indown the detai ls later, but a t this po int we were considering Val only tota lk on "The Metasystem Transition as the Quantum of Evolution". Th is isthe theoretical base to the PCP, which I described the form of in my ta lkto WESS. It's basica lly between Francis and Val how would like to talk, orboth, or what.
Our p lans are going ahead, Heylighen is getting tickets, so let's putthat in in hard pencil, but keep your eraser handy a ll the same. My life isreal ly hectic, and I won 't be in a sane place ti ll mid-April . We'll p indown the detai ls later, but a t this po int we were considering Val only tota lk on "The Metasystem Transition as the Quantum of Evolution". Th is isthe theoretical base to the PCP, which I described the form of in my ta lkto WESS. It's basica lly between Francis and Val how would like to talk, orboth, or what.
Our p lans are going ahead, Heyl ighen is getting tickets, so let's putthat in in hard pencil, but keep your eraser handy all the same. My li fe
Our p lans are going ahead, Heylighen is getting tickets, so let's putthat in in hard pencil, but keep your eraser handy a ll the same. My life isreal ly hectic, and I won 't be in a sane place ti ll mid-April . We'll p indown the detai ls later, but a t this po int we were considering Val only
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Web as “Neural” Network
The web links mutually relevant information through “hyperlinks”.
This is analogous to the way the brain links concepts by associations, and the corresponding assemblies of neurons by synapses.
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The Principia Cybernetica community
Valentin Turchin (1970):
Cybernetic analysis of intelligence and neural networks
metasystem transition towards “super-being”
Principia Cybernetica Project
Created in 1989 by Turchin and Cliff Joslyn– Joined in 1990 by Francis Heylighen
To develop Turchin’s theory of evolutionary cybernetics
While using the collaborative tools of hypermedia and internet
Website created in 1993 by Heylighen
Heylighen & Johan Bollen (1995):
learning and “thinking” website -> brain-like abilities
Global Brain Group founded by Heylighen & Ben Goertzel in 1996
First workshop in 2001
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Global Brain research: 2000s
Hectic explosion of the internet
Billions of people joining
Proliferation of mutually incompatible systems
“Web 2.0”
Focus on collaborative development
In fact already part of “Web 1.0”
Global Brain idea shifts to the background
Principia Cybernetica and Global Brain group increasingly less active
Because of illness and other obligations
Tim O’ Reilly, Yuri Milner (2011):
new interest in the Global Brain vision
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Growth of the Internet
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ECCO
Research group directed by Francis Heylighen International, interdisciplinary Founded in 2004 at the VUB Present membership:
– about 10 core
– about 20 affiliated
Main research subjects Self-organization, especially:
– of distributed intelligence
– of coordinated action Extending Turchin’s evolutionary cybernetics With lots of applications on the web But no explicit focus on the global brain
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ECCO results: Theory
Action ontology
Life as an adventure
Coordination of agents via
Stigmergy
Connectionist networks
Propagation of challenges
Resolves a wide variety of conceptual problems in
complexity science
cognitive science
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ECCO results: some web applications
Hebbian learning of web links
SNURF: intelligent propagation of messages across a social
network,
Smartocracy: voting network for democratic decision-making
Gnowsys: conceptual network for knowledge organization and
education
Teacherplex: website that stimulates students to learn new
material via multiple choice questions
a formalism and set of algorithms for intelligent reasoning
across distributed knowledge networks
Stigmergic University: a proposal to integrate these different
technologies in order to create a “World Brain”
Creation of a Global Brain Institute
Yuri Milner
Web billionaire, investor in Facebook, Twitter, Groupon…
Independently came to the Global Brain concept
September 2011: meeting of Milner and Heylighen
Milner wants to sponsor Heylighen’s research on the GB
Heylighen proposes to create a GB Institute at the VUB
Milner agrees to provide funding for at least 5 years– Enough to employ about half a dozen PhD researchers
– Focus on developing a mathematical theory of the GB
GBI should start in January 2012
And should get first major results by 2014
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Foundations for a Global Brain theory
Both people and machines are agents
They perform actions in response to challenges
Challenge = information suggesting that action would improve the situation
Pragmatically meaningful information
Examples of a challenge: – problem, question, task, opportunity, proposal, danger…
Challenges stimulate agents to act
Ability to tackle challenges (solving problems) = intelligence
Different agents collaboratively tackling challenges →
Distributed or collective intelligence
Challenges are passed on from agent to agent
In parallel and in sequence
While being processed
Mechanism
Challenge → action → changed situation → new challenge → new
action →… → final solution
Example: message → forward → reply → reply to the reply →… →
agreement
Similar to information processing in the brain
Spreading activation = activation passed on from neuron to neuron
along synapses
“activation” = condition that makes a neuron “act”
Propagation of Challenges
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Propagation of challenges in organization
input
output
Self-organizing propagation of challenges
No fixed “flowchart”
Challenges can propagate freely
Variation and selection dynamics
challenge stimulates action → undergoes variation
Variation stops when situation is no longer challenging
“Solved” challenges are selectively retained– Attractor of the dynamics
“Unsolved” ones continue to undergo variation– Basin leading into attractor
Friction and synergy
Actions/agents can be in conflict
Action of A perturbs effect of action of B
= Friction between A and B
→ continued variation as A counteracts B’s action, and B
counteracts A, etc.
Variation stops as compromise or win-win situation is reached
Actions/agents can be synergetic
Together they achieve more than the sum of their indivodual
achievements: win-win
This situation is preferentially retained → selection
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Example: Wikipedia
Nearly empty page on topic → challenges reader to expand text
Revised text challenges further readers to
correct/ add/ improve
Coordinated Action
Different people collaborate efficiently on the
page
Without even knowing each other
Conflicts are eventually solved
Propagation of challenges → self-organization of collective intelligence
Requires propagation medium
Where challenges are registered for others to
see
Here: Wikipedia website
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Example : Social network
People connect to their “friends”
Friends automatically see messages (“challenges”) left by their
connections
They may forward these messages to other friends (propagation)
Important or popular messages may thus selectively spread through
the network
This system can be much improved
Different types of connections, e.g. – Friends vs. acquaintances
– “Circles” of interest (Google+)
Different strengths of connections– People you know better or less well
This would allow a much more intelligent, automatic propagation
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The network of Facebook
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Improving propagation
Self-organization and therefore coordination can be facilitated
Better medium
Faster
more robust and reliable
easier to edit
More intuitive
more available…
Reaching more agents
More efficient network
Learning the most important connections, their strengths and
their types
So that challenges can be propagated to the most appropriate
targets
Automatic propagation
E.g. using spreading activation algorithms + particle
grammars
This would produce a much more intelligent propagation of “thoughts” in the global brain
Directed propagation
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Mobilization systems
Making challenges more pleasurable
“flow” = full absorption in activity, if: – Clear goals
– Immediate feedback
– Challenges in balance with skills
Applied implicitly in gaming environments– The activity is so satisfying that it becomes addictive
Other motivating principles– utility, altruism, authority, incentives, conformity…
Motivation + Coordination = mobilization of action
Making people collaborate productively and joyfully
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Ambient Intelligence
Internet of things
Not only people but a variety of devices are connected into
the global brain
E.g. sensors, vehicles, thermostats, machines, robots, ovens,
…
Agents can react “intelligently” to physical challenges
Such artificial agents too must be coordinated
E.g. via stigmergy or the propagation of “particles”
Coordinated artificial and human agents
→ intelligent environment
E.g. to promote health, sustainability, efficiency, security, …
Mining Meaning 28
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Towards a theory of the global brain Basic paradigm: Self-organizing propagation of challenges
Abstract, “ontological” framework
applicable to all types of agents, actions and communications
Allows mathematical formalization– E
.g. via complex dynamic systems or connectionist networks
In practice, mathematical models are best explored through simulation
Typically too complex for analytic treatment
Allows exploring a variety of parameter settings, initial conditions, architectures, and effects of random perturbations
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Towards a theory of the global brain
An abstract theory must be connected to reality
tested with empirical data– E.g. analysis of data about communication patterns in Facebook
Applied in practical situations– E.g. experiments with prototype applications
The theory must explain observed phenomena
It must connect to concrete developments– Social movements
– New technologies
– Economic pressures
– Legal constraints
– Ethical and political considerations…
Mining Meaning 31
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What is needed
Developing a global brain theory requires highly qualified researchers
Keeping informed of all potentially relevant developments
Collaborating closely on the theory – face-to-face – Via stigmergic and other technologies
Need for coordination
Alignment: agreement on the target: GBI theory
Division of Labor: who does what?
Workflow: efficient interaction between researchers
Aggregation: integrating the fragments into a whole
Regulation: checking whether things move in the right direction
Mining Meaning 33
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Conclusion
The ECCO research group (the future Global Brain Institute) has the necessary expertise to develop a deep and comprehensive theory of the global brain
Based on the paradigm of self-organizing propagation of
challenges
However, this will require:
A further clarification of the fundamental concepts
A sustained, focused effort
A good method of coordination
openness to the world and what happens there
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