Mahault Albarracin

Self-esteem, the evaluation of one's own worth or value, is a critical aspect of psychological well-being and mental health. In this paper, we propose an active inference account of self-esteem, casting it as a sociometer, or an inferential capacity to interpret one's standing within a social group. This approach allows us to explore the interaction between an individual's self-perception and the expectations of their social environment.When there's a mismatch between these perceptions and… Mehr zeigen

Self-esteem, the evaluation of one's own worth or value, is a critical aspect of psychological well-being and mental health. In this paper, we propose an active inference account of self-esteem, casting it as a sociometer, or an inferential capacity to interpret one's standing within a social group. This approach allows us to explore the interaction between an individual's self-perception and the expectations of their social environment.When there's a mismatch between these perceptions and expectations, the individual needs to adjust their actions or update their self-perception to better align with their current experiences. We also consider this hypothesis in relation to recent research on affective inference, suggesting that self-esteem enables the individual to track and respond to this discrepancy through affective states such as anxiety or positive affect. By acting as an inferential sociometer, self-esteem allows individuals to navigate and adapt to their social environment, ultimately impacting their psychological well-being and mental health. Weniger anzeigen

I am pleased to comment on “Path integrals, particular kinds, and strange things” by Friston and colleagues [1]. The path integral formulation introduced in this paper offers an innovative lens for examining complex systems, particularly through its nuanced typology of particles. This comprehensive commentary focuses on ‘strange particles,’ a distinct category whose concealed active states provide an intriguing model for understanding phenomena like consciousness and resilience [1]. A key… Mehr zeigen

I am pleased to comment on “Path integrals, particular kinds, and strange things” by Friston and colleagues [1]. The path integral formulation introduced in this paper offers an innovative lens for examining complex systems, particularly through its nuanced typology of particles. This comprehensive commentary focuses on ‘strange particles,’ a distinct category whose concealed active states provide an intriguing model for understanding phenomena like consciousness and resilience [1]. A key contribution of the formulation is its ability to express system dynamics in terms of densities over paths or trajectories, thereby circumventing the need for assumptions about stationary states. This is especially advantageous for analyzing non-stationary systems. The formulation introduces a nuanced typology of particles—active, inert, dissipative, conservative, ordinary, and strange—each with unique properties that offer valuable insights into resilience, or specifically the notion of timescales and possibility for inner screens. Weniger anzeigen

This paper investigates the prospect of developing human-interpretable, explainable artificial intelligence (AI) systems based on active inference and the free energy principle. We first provide a brief overview of active inference, and in particular, of how it applies to the modeling of decision-making, introspection, as well as the generation of overt and covert actions. We then discuss how active inference can be leveraged to design explainable AI systems, namely, by allowing us to model… Mehr zeigen

This paper investigates the prospect of developing human-interpretable, explainable artificial intelligence (AI) systems based on active inference and the free energy principle. We first provide a brief overview of active inference, and in particular, of how it applies to the modeling of decision-making, introspection, as well as the generation of overt and covert actions. We then discuss how active inference can be leveraged to design explainable AI systems, namely, by allowing us to model core features of “introspective” processes and by generating useful, human-interpretable models of the processes involved in decision-making. We propose an architecture for explainable AI systems using active inference. This architecture foregrounds the role of an explicit hierarchical generative model, the operation of which enables the AI system to track and explain the factors that contribute to its own decisions, and whose structure is designed to be interpretable and auditable by human users. We outline how this architecture can integrate diverse sources of information to make informed decisions in an auditable manner, mimicking or reproducing aspects of human-like consciousness and introspection. Finally, we discuss the implications of our findings for future research in AI, and the potential ethical considerations of developing AI systems with (the appearance of) introspective capabilities. Weniger anzeigen

We introduce and motivate the concept of embedded normativity to account for the externalization of social norms in the material
environment through human social activity. We ground this notion in the
Active Inference framework, and more specifically through the derived
Skilled Intentionality framework of ecological perception and action. This
framework considers that skilled agent experience the world as a landscape of affordances, or opportunities for action. This landscape is… Mehr zeigen

We introduce and motivate the concept of embedded normativity to account for the externalization of social norms in the material
environment through human social activity. We ground this notion in the
Active Inference framework, and more specifically through the derived
Skilled Intentionality framework of ecological perception and action. This
framework considers that skilled agent experience the world as a landscape of affordances, or opportunities for action. This landscape is inherently normative, as its experience is tied to the agent’s anticipations over
its own behaviour (and therefore, indirectly, to its motivations). We emphasize that given this framework, normativity does not exist inside or
outside the agent’s boundaries, but is brought about by its engagement
with the world. We discuss the dynamics of internalization and externalization by which agents come to project normativity onto elements of
their environment, and experience this normativity as a simple attraction
toward favoured states. Given this account, we revisit earlier descriptions
of the shared material and sociocultural niche enable the broadcasting
and integration of norms. Finally, we discuss how embedded normativity
can be brought into existence by the perception of humans, and relate
our discussion to the ontological stance of participatory realism. Weniger anzeigen

The free energy principle (FEP) is a mathematical and scientific principle that describes the relationship between the physical behavior of a dynamical system and the interpretation of such behavior as carrying out inference. It blurs the boundary between the ontological mode of the system of interest and the epistemological significance it acquires through its dynamic interaction with the environment. New materialism (or neo-materialism), despite lacking a single definition, refers to a range… Mehr zeigen

The free energy principle (FEP) is a mathematical and scientific principle that describes the relationship between the physical behavior of a dynamical system and the interpretation of such behavior as carrying out inference. It blurs the boundary between the ontological mode of the system of interest and the epistemological significance it acquires through its dynamic interaction with the environment. New materialism (or neo-materialism), despite lacking a single definition, refers to a range of emerging perspectives that attempt to dismantle the long-held divisions between ontology, epistemology, and even ethics, with the aim of achieving a comprehensive transformation of naturalized thinking. In this context, new materialism provides powerful tools to reframe some of the conceptual foundations of the FEP. This paper is the first in a series that aims to systematically construct a neo-materialistic perspective for the FEP, exploring its wide-ranging implications. It serves as an introduction to the series, arguing for the justification of deploying new materialism to reframe the FEP and introducing some essential concepts to be utilized in developing a neo-materialistic account of the FEP Weniger anzeigen

This paper aims to assess whether the recently proposed "inner screen model" of consciousness that follows from the free-energy principle (FEP) can be regarded as a minimal unifying model (MUM) of consciousness, thereby providing a common foundational model for consciousness studies, and integrating approaches to consciousness based on the FEP. We first present the inner screen model, which follows from applying the quantum information theoretic version of the FEP to the known sparse (nested… Mehr zeigen

This paper aims to assess whether the recently proposed "inner screen model" of consciousness that follows from the free-energy principle (FEP) can be regarded as a minimal unifying model (MUM) of consciousness, thereby providing a common foundational model for consciousness studies, and integrating approaches to consciousness based on the FEP. We first present the inner screen model, which follows from applying the quantum information theoretic version of the FEP to the known sparse (nested and hierarchical) neuroanatomy of the brain. We then review models of consciousness that are premised on the FEP. Specifically, we review Bayesian versions of the global workspace and attention schema theories, theories premised on world-models and self-models, and models formalizing the computational structure and properties of time-consciousness. We then discuss how extant FEP-theoretic models of consciousness can be situated with respect to the candidate MUM. Weniger anzeigen

This paper investigates the prospect of developing human-interpretable, explainable artificial intelligence (AI) systems based on active inference and the free energy principle. We first provide a brief overview of active inference, and in particular, of how it applies to the modeling of decision-making, introspection, as well as the generation of overt and covert actions. We then discuss how active inference can be leveraged to design explainable AI systems, namely, by allowing us to model… Mehr zeigen

This paper investigates the prospect of developing human-interpretable, explainable artificial intelligence (AI) systems based on active inference and the free energy principle. We first provide a brief overview of active inference, and in particular, of how it applies to the modeling of decision-making, introspection, as well as the generation of overt and covert actions. We then discuss how active inference can be leveraged to design explainable AI systems, namely, by allowing us to model core features of ``introspective'' processes and by generating useful, human-interpretable models of the processes involved in decision-making. We propose an architecture for explainable AI systems using active inference. This architecture foregrounds the role of an explicit hierarchical generative model, the operation of which enables the AI system to track and explain the factors that contribute to its own decisions, and whose structure is designed to be interpretable and auditable by human users. We outline how this architecture can integrate diverse sources of information to make informed decisions in an auditable manner, mimicking or reproducing aspects of human-like consciousness and introspection. Finally, we discuss the implications of our findings for future research in AI, and the potential ethical considerations of developing AI systems with (the appearance of) introspective capabilities. Weniger anzeigen

This paper presents a model of consciousness that follows directly from the free-energy principle (FEP). We first rehearse the classical and quantum formulations of the FEP. In particular, we consider the inner screen hypothesis that follows from the quantum information theoretic version of the FEP. We then review applications of the FEP to the known sparse (nested and hierarchical) neuro-anatomy of the brain. We focus on the holographic structure of the brain, and how this structure supports… Mehr zeigen

This paper presents a model of consciousness that follows directly from the free-energy principle (FEP). We first rehearse the classical and quantum formulations of the FEP. In particular, we consider the inner screen hypothesis that follows from the quantum information theoretic version of the FEP. We then review applications of the FEP to the known sparse (nested and hierarchical) neuro-anatomy of the brain. We focus on the holographic structure of the brain, and how this structure supports (overt and covert) action. Weniger anzeigen

In this article, we aim to conceptualize and formalize the construct of resilience using the tools of active inference, a new physics-based modeling approach apt for the description and analysis of complex adaptive systems. We intend this as a first step toward a computational model of resilient systems. We begin by offering a conceptual analysis of resilience, to clarify its meaning, as established in the literature. We examine an orthogonal, threefold distinction between meanings of the word… Mehr zeigen

In this article, we aim to conceptualize and formalize the construct of resilience using the tools of active inference, a new physics-based modeling approach apt for the description and analysis of complex adaptive systems. We intend this as a first step toward a computational model of resilient systems. We begin by offering a conceptual analysis of resilience, to clarify its meaning, as established in the literature. We examine an orthogonal, threefold distinction between meanings of the word “resilience”: (i) inertia, or the ability to resist change (ii) elasticity, or the ability to bounce back from a perturbation, and (iii) plasticity, or the ability to flexibly expand the repertoire of adaptive states. We then situate all three senses of resilience within active inference. We map resilience as inertia onto high precision beliefs, resilience as elasticity onto relaxation back to characteristic (i.e., attracting) states, and resilience as plasticity onto functional redundancy and structural degeneracy. Weniger anzeigen

The digital affordances of digital social platforms are of particular interest here. Digital social affordances are defined as online possibilities of social interactions. By their own nature, these are salient because they are related to social interactions and relevant social cues. However, the problem of digital social platforms is that they are not equivalent to situated social interactions because their structure is built, mediated, and defined by third-parties with diverse interests. The… Mehr zeigen

The digital affordances of digital social platforms are of particular interest here. Digital social affordances are defined as online possibilities of social interactions. By their own nature, these are salient because they are related to social interactions and relevant social cues. However, the problem of digital social platforms is that they are not equivalent to situated social interactions because their structure is built, mediated, and defined by third-parties with diverse interests. The third-parties behind the digital social platforms are using the same mechanism exploited by culture to manipulate the shared patterns of attention. Moreover, digital social platforms are deliberately designed to be hyper-stimulating, making digital social affordances highly rewarding and increasingly salient. This appropriation, for economic purposes, is an issue of great importance, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic brought deep global changes, pushing societies to an online digital way of life. Here, we examined different types of digital social affordances under an active inference view, placing them into two categories, those for self-identity formation, and those for belief-updating. This paper aims to analyze digital social affordances in light of the prediction error dynamics they might elicit to their users. Although each of the analyzed digital social affordances allows different epistemic and instrumental digital actions, they all share the characteristic of having an "easy" and a fast expected rate of error reduction. Here, we aim to provide a new hypothesis about how the design behind digital social affordances is built on our natural attractiveness to minimize prediction error and the resulting positive embodied feelings when doing so. Weniger anzeigen

This white paper lays out a vision of research and development in the field of artificial intelligence for the next decade (and beyond). Its denouement is a cyber-physical ecosystem of natural and synthetic sense-making, in which humans are integral participants—what we call ''shared intelligence''. This vision is premised on active inference, a formulation of adaptive behavior that can be read as a physics of intelligence, and which inherits from the physics of self-organization. In this… Mehr zeigen

This white paper lays out a vision of research and development in the field of artificial intelligence for the next decade (and beyond). Its denouement is a cyber-physical ecosystem of natural and synthetic sense-making, in which humans are integral participants—what we call ''shared intelligence''. This vision is premised on active inference, a formulation of adaptive behavior that can be read as a physics of intelligence, and which inherits from the physics of self-organization. In this context, we understand intelligence as the capacity to accumulate evidence for a generative model of one's sensed world—also known as self-evidencing. Formally, this corresponds to maximizing (Bayesian) model evidence, via belief updating over several scales: i.e., inference, learning, and model selection. Operationally, this self-evidencing can be realized via (variational) message passing or belief propagation on a factor graph. Crucially, active inference foregrounds an existential imperative of intelligent systems; namely, curiosity or the resolution of uncertainty. This same imperative underwrites belief sharing in ensembles of agents, in which certain aspects (i.e., factors) of each agent's generative world model provide a common ground or frame of reference. Active inference plays a foundational role in this ecology of belief sharing—leading to a formal account of collective intelligence that rests on shared narratives and goals. We also consider the kinds of communication protocols that must be developed to enable such an ecosystem of intelligences and motivate the development of a shared hyper-spatial modeling language and transaction protocol, as a first—and key—step towards such an ecology. Weniger anzeigen

We develop an approach to policy selection in active inference that allows us to efficiently search large policy spaces by mapping each policy to its embedding in a vector space. We sample the expected free energy of representative points in the space, then perform a more thorough policy search around the most promising point in this initial sample.

We consider various approaches to creating the policy embedding space, and propose using k-means clustering to select representative points.… Mehr zeigen

We develop an approach to policy selection in active inference that allows us to efficiently search large policy spaces by mapping each policy to its embedding in a vector space. We sample the expected free energy of representative points in the space, then perform a more thorough policy search around the most promising point in this initial sample.

We consider various approaches to creating the policy embedding space, and propose using k-means clustering to select representative points. We apply our technique to a goal-oriented graph-traversal problem, for which naive policy selection is intractable for even moderately large graphs. Weniger anzeigen

This paper aims to show that genders are enacted, by providing an account of how an individual can be said to enact a gender and explaining how, consequently, genders can be fluid. On the enactive-ecological view we defend, individuals first and foremost perceive the world as fields of affordances, that is, structured sets of action possibilities. Fields of natural affordances offer action possibilities because of the natural properties of organisms and environments. Usually, behaving… Mehr zeigen

This paper aims to show that genders are enacted, by providing an account of how an individual can be said to enact a gender and explaining how, consequently, genders can be fluid. On the enactive-ecological view we defend, individuals first and foremost perceive the world as fields of affordances, that is, structured sets of action possibilities. Fields of natural affordances offer action possibilities because of the natural properties of organisms and environments. Usually, behaving normatively in response to cultural affordances brings about sequences of perception-action loops, which we will call “scripts”: for instance, closed doors afford knocking, which affords the individual inside opening the door, which affords an interpersonal meeting, which (may) afford entrance. Although the notion of script has a strong cognitivist flavor, one of the aims of the paper to provide an ecological account of scripts, to show that what cognitivists viewed as representations (or representational structures) are in fact environmentally structured perception-action loops. On our account of gender, gendered cultures build and maintain gendered cultural affordance landscapes, that is, landscapes in which the action possibilities individuals face are normed according to a specific body type or situation; most often (assigned) biological sex. Individuals enact a given gender when they come to perceive the affordances reserved for one gender by their culture and respond in the culturally normative way, thus enacting gendered sequences of perception-action loops (i.e., gendered scripts). This entails that individuals in such cultures have an increased possibility for gender fluidity, which may in part explain the increasing number of people currently identifying outside the binary. Weniger anzeigen

Phenomenology is the rigorous descriptive study of conscious experience. Recent attempts to formalize Husserlian phenomenology provide us with a mathematical model of perception as a function of prior knowledge and expectation. In this paper, we re-examine elements of Husserlian phenomenology through the lens of active inference. In doing so, we aim to advance the project of computational phenomenology, as recently outlined by proponents of active inference. We propose that key aspects of… Mehr zeigen

Phenomenology is the rigorous descriptive study of conscious experience. Recent attempts to formalize Husserlian phenomenology provide us with a mathematical model of perception as a function of prior knowledge and expectation. In this paper, we re-examine elements of Husserlian phenomenology through the lens of active inference. In doing so, we aim to advance the project of computational phenomenology, as recently outlined by proponents of active inference. We propose that key aspects of Husserl’s descriptions of consciousness can be mapped onto aspects of the generative models associated with the active inference approach. We first briefly review active inference. We then discuss Husserl’s phenomenology, with a focus on time consciousness. Finally, we present our mapping from Husserlian phenomenology to active inference. Weniger anzeigen

The spread of ideas is a fundamental concern of today’s news ecology. Understanding the dynamics of the spread of information and its co-option by interested parties is of critical importance. Research on this topic has shown that individuals tend to cluster in echo-chambers and are driven by confirmation bias. In this paper, we leverage the active inference framework to provide an in silico model of confirmation bias and its effect on echo-chamber formation. We build a model based on active… Mehr zeigen

The spread of ideas is a fundamental concern of today’s news ecology. Understanding the dynamics of the spread of information and its co-option by interested parties is of critical importance. Research on this topic has shown that individuals tend to cluster in echo-chambers and are driven by confirmation bias. In this paper, we leverage the active inference framework to provide an in silico model of confirmation bias and its effect on echo-chamber formation. We build a model based on active inference, where agents tend to sample information in order to justify their own view of reality, which eventually leads to them to have a high degree of certainty about their own beliefs. We show that, once agents have reached a certain level of certainty about their beliefs, it becomes very difficult to get them to change their views. This system of self-confirming beliefs is upheld and reinforced by the evolving relationship between an agent’s beliefs and observations, which over time will continue to provide evidence for their ingrained ideas about the world. The epistemic communities that are consolidated by these shared beliefs, in turn, tend to produce perceptions of reality that reinforce those shared beliefs. We provide an active inference account of this community formation mechanism. We postulate that agents are driven by the epistemic value that they obtain from sampling or observing the behaviours of other agents. Inspired by digital social networks like Twitter, we build a generative model in which agents generate observable social claims or posts (e.g., ‘tweets’) while reading the socially observable claims of other agents that lend support to one of two mutually exclusive abstract topics. Agents can choose which other agent they pay attention to at each timestep, and crucially who they attend to and what they choose to read influences their beliefs about the world. Weniger anzeigen

Conceptualizations of beliefs differ according to the school of thought considered; here, we take the view from cognitive science.

In cognitive science, beliefs are propositional attitudes, where the world is depicted as being in some state or another (Schwitzgebel, 2021). Beliefs have two main properties: some representational content and assumed veracity (Stephens and Graham, 2004). Beliefs entail specific representational content, which portrays causes of sensations (agency, events… Mehr zeigen

Conceptualizations of beliefs differ according to the school of thought considered; here, we take the view from cognitive science.

In cognitive science, beliefs are propositional attitudes, where the world is depicted as being in some state or another (Schwitzgebel, 2021). Beliefs have two main properties: some representational content and assumed veracity (Stephens and Graham, 2004). Beliefs entail specific representational content, which portrays causes of sensations (agency, events, and objects) as being a specific way (Rimell, 2021). So understood, they are undoubtedly a central part of cognition, dictating our perceptions, behavior, and executive functions. Beliefs do not need to be conscious or linguistically articulated, and indeed, the majority of beliefs can be construed as subpersonal; i.e., remain unconscious (Majeed, 2022). Rational agents generally view beliefs as having a truth value, and update their beliefs in light of new evidence. The term “belief” is also used to denote a more deflationary sense, where what is at stake is merely a probability density over some support; where we call a belief a probabilistic assessment of how plausible some state of affairs is (Smets, 2005). On this probabilistic reading, beliefs acquire the attribute of uncertainty—or its complement precision. Weniger anzeigen

The objective of this research was to observe the representation of the link between
gender fluidity and sexual fluidity. This observation allows to put in place discursive
units which govem social construction. We analyse United States OfTara to determine
how the main character navigates various discursive and social constraints all the while
allowing a rigid and naturalising matrix.
This thesis uses sociological and queer feminist theories in the context of sexology… Mehr zeigen

The objective of this research was to observe the representation of the link between
gender fluidity and sexual fluidity. This observation allows to put in place discursive
units which govem social construction. We analyse United States OfTara to determine
how the main character navigates various discursive and social constraints all the while
allowing a rigid and naturalising matrix.
This thesis uses sociological and queer feminist theories in the context of sexology and
feminist studies. We touch on the influence of the media on the formation of norms,
gender theory, gender stereotypes and their dimensions. W e find diff erent dimensions
in sexual fluidity and gender fluidity, which interact to co-construct each other. We
have studied 11 episodes of United States Of Tara, by taking the verbatims of each
episode and thematically analysing them. For this study, we developed a model based
on Butler's ·performance theory and Gagnon and Simon's sexual script theory.
We found two axes in our analysis. Firstly, gender fluidity emerges in a variety ofways,
depending on the different personalities that Tara embodies, and the restrictions of each
context. Secondly, sexual fluidity is dissected in relation to gendered expressions. The
whole is used as a deconstructive metaphor of everyone's gendered expression,
represented by Tara. Weniger anzeigen

This paper proposes a formal reconstruction of the script construct by leveraging the active inference framework, a behavioural modelling framework that casts action, perception, emotions, and attention as processes of (Bayesian or variational) inference. We propose a first principles account of the script construct that integrates its different uses in the behavioural and social sciences. We begin by reviewing the recent literature that uses the script construct. We then examine the main… Mehr zeigen

This paper proposes a formal reconstruction of the script construct by leveraging the active inference framework, a behavioural modelling framework that casts action, perception, emotions, and attention as processes of (Bayesian or variational) inference. We propose a first principles account of the script construct that integrates its different uses in the behavioural and social sciences. We begin by reviewing the recent literature that uses the script construct. We then examine the main mathematical and computational features of active inference. Finally, we leverage the resources of active inference to offer a formal model of scripts. Our integrative model accounts for the dual nature of scripts (as internal, psychological schema used by agents to make sense of event types and as constitutive behavioural categories that make up the social order) and also for the stronger and weaker conceptions of the construct (which do and do not relate to explicit action sequences, respectively). Weniger anzeigen

Les sciences cognitives et les sciences sociales n’ont pas atteint un niveau de connexion qui permet un échange paradigmatique suffisant pour développer adéquatement des modèles complexes. Grâce aux théories des affordances, les différentes disciplines peuvent trouver un point d’arrimage clément pour développer des modèles d’interactions sociales. Spécifiquement, il est possible de faire une analyse critique dans une optique féministe de la dynamique d’interaction entre des individus dans des… Mehr zeigen

Les sciences cognitives et les sciences sociales n’ont pas atteint un niveau de connexion qui permet un échange paradigmatique suffisant pour développer adéquatement des modèles complexes. Grâce aux théories des affordances, les différentes disciplines peuvent trouver un point d’arrimage clément pour développer des modèles d’interactions sociales. Spécifiquement, il est possible de faire une analyse critique dans une optique féministe de la dynamique d’interaction entre des individus dans des groupes en opposition oppresseur/opprimé. Nous pouvons décliner ces interactions en termes d’asymétries d’affordances, déterminées par les niches culturelles (ou sociales), et en analyser les liens avec les injustices épistémiques Weniger anzeigen