| Title | Computational Intelligence: What can we Learn from the Brain? |
| Speaker | Prof. Wlodzislaw Duch |
| Chair | Jacek Mańdziuk |
Abstract
Natural intelligence still exceeds computational intelligence in many respects. What is missing in computational methods? How can we reach human level of competence in perception, language, reasoning? This talk will outline the road to cognitive neuroinformatics inspired by the information flow in the brain. Mental states result from neural dynamics of the brain and thanks to the recent progress in connectomics and cognitive neuroscience there is a growing understanding of the way concepts are represented and used in the brain. This knowledge leads to computational models that help to understand how spreading of neural activation in layered networks gives meanings to incoming sensory signals, how creative processes operate, how ideas and observations become memes that distort perception and influence reasoning. Visualization of mental trajectories using novel technique based on fuzzy symbolic dynamics helps to see defined attractor states that oscillate around some probability distributions. Such models may be related to recent results of fMRI studies and may elucidate the nature of psychiatric diseases. Perspectives on computational approach to higher cognitive functions are outlined.
Biography
Wlodzislaw Duch heads the Department of Informatics, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun, Poland, and is the Vice-President for Research and ICT Infrastructure (2011-15) at this University. He worked as Nanyang Visiting Professor (2010-12) in the School of Computer Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore where has also worked in 2003-07. MSc (1977) in theoretical physics, Ph.D. in quantum chemistry (1980), postdoc at Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles (1980-82), D.Sc. in applied math (1987); worked at the University of Florida; Max-Planck-Institute, Munich, Germany, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Meiji and Rikkyo University in Japan, and several other institutions. He is/was on the editorial board of IEEE TNN, CPC, NIP-LR, Journal of Mind and Behavior, and 14 other journals; was co-founder & scientific editor of the “Polish Cognitive Science” journal; for two terms has served as the President of the European Neural Networks Society executive committee (2006-2008-2011), is an active member of IEEE CIS Technical committee; works as expert of the European Union science programs; published about 300 scientific and 150 popular articles, co-authored 4 books and co-edited 19 books, his DuchSoft company has made GhostMiner software package marketed by Fujitsu.
W. Duch is an expert in computational intelligence (CI), especially in methods that facilitate understanding of data, general CI theory based on similarity evaluation and composition of transformations, meta-learning schemes that automatically discover the best model for a given data. He also tries to develop neurocognitive informatics, algorithms inspired by models of brain functions at different levels, geometrical theories for modeling of mental events and relating such models to neurodynamics, models of attention deficit disorders integrating genetic, molecular, neural and behavioral levels, infant learning and toys that facilitate mental development. He has written a number of papers in the philosophy of mind, helping to develop cognitive sciences curriculum. With a wide background in many branches of science and understanding of different cultures he bridges various scientific communities. As a service to the international community he maintains many web pages related to computational intelligence, neuroscience, machine learning and statistics. To access these pages and his full CV just type his name in Google.
