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03 / Foundations of intelligence

Research agenda

Computation inspired by biology

Which mechanisms in nature could change how we build machines?

01 / MOTIVATING OBSERVATION

Nature has long been a source of engineering ideas. The interesting step is identifying a mechanism precisely enough to learn from it, rather than stopping at a resemblance.

02 / STARTING CONTEXT

The lab's interest spans neural organization, distributed adaptation, and photosynthetic systems. These are starting points for separate investigations; a mechanism useful in one biological system does not automatically explain intelligence.

03 / WORKING HYPOTHESIS

A selected biological mechanism may suggest a computational design with a useful tradeoff in energy, robustness, or adaptation. The proposal needs to identify exactly what transfers from biology to engineering.

04 / PROPOSED INVESTIGATION

  1. Select one mechanism and map the evidence for how it operates.
  2. Separate established observations from competing explanations.
  3. Express the proposed computational counterpart as a minimal model.
  4. Compare its behavior and resource costs with a conventional baseline.

05 / WHAT WOULD CHALLENGE THE IDEA?

If the relevant biological conditions cannot be reproduced, or the proposed design offers no useful tradeoff, the analogy may have limited engineering value.

DOCUMENTING THE WORK

Papers, simulations, and video explanations will be linked as this investigation develops.

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Connected questions.

01Foundations of intelligence

The energy cost of intelligence

What does intelligence cost in physical terms?

A framework for comparing the energy required for specific cognitive tasks, with performance, system boundaries, and measurement kept in view.

Research agendaRead the question
02Foundations of intelligence

Quantum-cognitive models

Could a different mathematical language reveal a different way to model cognition?

Explore what quantum probability and related formal models could contribute to learning, memory, and reasoning, alongside explicit classical comparisons.

Research agendaRead the question