Cognitive Computing 2007

A Multi-disciplinary Synthesis of Neuroscience, Computer Science, Mathematics, Cognitive Neuroscience, and Information Theory

May 2-3, 2007, UC Berkeley

CITRIS and NERSC Sponsored Research

Meeting Sites
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WHAT IS COGNITIVE COMPUTING?
Cognitive Computing is a study of top-down, global, unifying theories that explain observed cognitive phenomena ("mind"), that are consistent with known bottom-up neurobiological facts (the "brain"), that are computationally feasible (for example, implement-able on a BlueGene), and that are mathematically principled. Cognitive Computing is a search for computer science-type software/hardware elements that are consistent with known neurobiological facts about the brain and give rise to observed mental processes of perception, memory, language, intelligence, and, eventually, consciousness. Very simply speaking, Cognitive Computing is when computer science meets neuroscience to explain and implement psychology.

We have, in the brain and nervous system, an information processing system unrivalled by artificial means.  While it trails machines in accuracy and mathematical computation, it wins on adaptability, flexibility, functionality, and parallelism.  The ultimate goal is to reverse engineer enough of this system so that the design principles can be applied to building robust and adaptable computer systems. <!--<-->

Cognitive Computing is different from Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Neural Networks (NN). From the outset, AI ignored neurobiology. While neural networks started from biological motivation, they too quickly discarded biological plausibility. In both cases, the approach has been to focus on a suitable problem, and to offer a "symbolic" or "neural network" solution to it. The brain, however, works in exactly the opposite fashion, it has evolved a solution that allows it to deal with problems as they arise.

AI and NN technologies take one or more cognitive phenomena exhibited by the brain as a starting point and then try to replicate that capability by inventing algorithms/learning rules.  In contrast, CC is about learning how the brain operates, about algorithms, about diligent reverse engineering and testing plausible models. Cognitive Computing is about engineering the mind by reverse engineering the brain.

Confirmed Speakers

Nobelist Donald Glaser, UC Berkeley

Prof. James Anderson, Brown University

Prof. Michael Arbib, USC

Prof. Edward Callaway, Salk Institute 

Prof. Robert Hecht-Nielsen, UCSD

Dr. Edgar Koerner, President, Honda Research Institute Europe

Dr. Dharmendra Modha, IBM

Prof. Lotfi A. Zadeh, UCB

Dr. Masoud Nikravesh, UCB
 

Event Co-chairs

Dr. Dharmendra S. Modha of IBM Almaden Research Center who manages IBM's Cognitive Computing Program and who organized the 2006 Almaden Institute on Cognitive Computing.

Prof. Robert Hecht-Nielsen of UCSD who is a pioneer in Neural Networks, a noted entrepreneur, and has recently developed his Confabulation Theory

Dr. Masoud Nikravesh of UC Berkeley who is BISC Executive Director and is organizing Berkeley's expected upcoming Cognitive Computing initiative.

Confirmed Panelists for "The Future of Cognitive Computing"

Prof. Jose M. Carmena, EECS and Cognitive Sciences, UCB
Steve Jurvetson, Pre-eminent VC, Draper Fisher Jurvetson
Dr. Paul Rhodes, Stanford & Evolved Machines, Inc.
Dr. Lloyd Watts, Audience, Inc.

 Opening & Closing Remarks

Opening Remarks on Day 1: Prof. Shankar Sastry, UCB (who will welcome participants and  is expected to briefly announce Berkeley's new initiatives)

Opening remarks on Day 2: Dr. Horst Simon, NERSC Director (who will welcome participants and who is expected to briefly announce LBNL's new initiatives)

Agenda  |  Sponsors  | Hotel information  |  Directions  |  Previous meetings (2006)

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