The Ontology and Architecture of Intelligence
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We suggest the problem of intelligence is to locate viable solutions in infinite search spaces using finite resources. Here we present our work on conceptualizing and formalizing some of the features of intelligence in dynamic multi-level control systems. We begin by presenting a new ontology needed for understanding intelligence, illustrated by the controversy around beables in quantum theory. We then present a model of situationally appropriate information-processing in a single-celled organism, using quantum computing formalisms. We show how multi-level control systems can emerge from information-processing constraints within a system of multi-dimensional optimization and explore the information flow between levels within single cells. We then model how bottom-up and top-down prospection gives rise to flexible goals and strategies in wayfinding control systems, using examples from navigation and manual crafts. Finally, we model how prospection overshoot and undershoot can lead to run-away failures and how emotions can play a role in anticipating bad outcomes and dampen the oscillations, using examples from advertising and economics.