understanding 20170104 v10

05/03/2023 Understanding Cognitive Systems 1

Understanding Cognitive Systems

Jim Spohrer (IBM)HICSS 50th, January 4, 2017

http://www.slideshare.net/spohrer/understanding_20170104_v10


Today’s Talk: Understanding Cognitive Systems• What is a cognitive system (entity)…• Biological?• Digital?

• How to…• Build them?• Understand them?• Work with them?

• Steps toward a next generation cognitive curriculum…• Types of digital cognitive systems?• Types of courses?

Jim Spohrer(Maine, MIT, Verbex, Yale, Apple, IBM, …)


What is a biological cognitive system (BCS entity)?


What is a digital cognitive system (DCS entity)?


Build them (BCS)? 10 million minutes of experience


Build them (BCS)? 2 million minutes of experience

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Build them (DCS)? Computers, data, building blocks & service offerings

Understanding Cognitive Systems


Build them (BCS + DCS)? Socio-technical system designhardware < software < data < experience < transformation


Understand them?• Observe Them: Predictable and Auditable?

• BCS: Sometimes predictable and auditable (natural, evolved, experiences, free will)• DCS: Mostly predictable and auditable (artificial, designed, algorithms, blockchain)

• Hardware:• BCS: Brain-based (neurons)• DCS: Microprocessor-based (transistors)

• Software:• BCS: (People and Experiences) Evolution & Psychology, Cognitive Science• DCS: (Machines and Algorithms) Design & Engineering, Computer Science

• Data, Experience, Transformation?• BCS & DCS: External environment & sensing (Data), Internal processes, communications,

storage (Information & experience), Philosophy of life, values (Transformation)


Work with them? Circa 2016…

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Steps Toward a Next GenerationCognitive Curriculum

• 2016• “How to build a cognitive system for Q&A task.”• 9 months to 40% question answering accuracy• 1-2 years for 90% accuracy, which questions to reject

• 2026• “How to use cognitive assistants to be a better professional X.”• Tools to build a student level Q&A from textbook in 1 week

• 2036• “How to use your cognitive mediator to build a startup.”• Tools to build faculty level Q&A for textbook in one day• Cognitive mediator knows a person better (in some ways)

than they know themselves (identity & responsibility)

• 2046 & 2056• “How to manage your workforce of digital workers.”• 2046: 10 digital workers each; 2056: 100 digital workers each


Next Generation Cognitive Curriculum:Intelligence Building Blocks

• IntelligenceAugmentation (IA)• Science• Design• Business• Society• Interdisciplinary

• ArtificialIntelligence (AI)• Learning• Perception• Reasoning• Interaction• Knowledge


Prof. Pieter Abbeel (UC Berkeley)


Episodic Memory

Commonsense Reasoning

Fluid Conversations

Ingesting Textbooks


What types of digital cognitive systems (DCS)? • Cognitive Build: Outthink Challenge (250K people)

• Imagine a digital cognitive system to help you do something important in your personal or professional lives

• Team to design it and advocate for it, and then everyone votes

• Winners: reduce waste and human suffering, screen for health issues and safety threats, learn life skills and make better choices, find what you are looking for, move around more effectively, provide emotional support, provide IT support, learn about important public policy goals and make better choices

• Types: Tool, Assistant, Collaborator, Coach, Mediator


Types• Tool• Assistant• Collaborator• Coach• Mediator


Types:Model/Capability/Challenge (+ = relative difficulty level)DCS Type Improvement Model/

Learning/Data

Task Model/Perception/Variety

Self Model/Reasoning/Commonsense

User Model/Interaction/Episodic Memory

World Model/Knowledge/Legal Trust

Tool + ++ + + +

Assistant ++ +++ +++ ++ ++

Collaborator +++ +++ +++ ++++ +++

Coach ++++ ++++ ++++ +++++ +++++

Mediator +++++ +++++ +++++ +++++ +++++++

tool assistant collaborator coach mediator


Sample existing courses• AI MOOCs (Next Slide)• Watson Innovation Course• http://crowdtruth.org/course/watson-innovation-course-2016/

http://crowdtruth.org/course/watson-innovation-course-2016/

http://crowdtruth.org/course/watson-innovation-course-2016/


AI MOOCs: Circa 2016

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1956 1976 1996 2016 2036 2056

Personal Reflections:The building blocks are getting better

Maine MIT, Verbex, Yale Apple IBM

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Come visit IBM Research – Almaden in San Jose, CA USA – monthly

university day!

05/03/2023 © IBM 2015, IBM Upward University Programs Worldwide accelerating regional development

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Dedication: Douglas C. EngelbartFather of the mouse and augmentation theory


Cognitive Science, a young field• Society

• cognitivesciencesociety.org

• People• Founders: Roger Schank, Donald Norman,

Allan Collins• Others: David Rumelhart, Herbert Simon,

Allen Newell• Today: Patrick Langley, Wayne Gray, Kenneth

Forbus, Ashok Goel, Paul Maglio, etc.

• Systems Conference• cogsys.org• (JCS wishes this was part of HICSS)


Advances in Cognitive Systems - cogsys.org


Google Search: August 26, 2016


Work with them?

understanding 20170104 v10

Education