Exploring the Relationship between Mismatch, Surprise, and Free Energy

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Daniel Friedman (Active Inference Institute) reveals why John Boyd’s OODA is *fractal*—not linear. Free Energy Principle, ant brains, cognitive security, and 5th-gen warfare decoded.

🧠 **Active Inference = Real OODA**  
  Daniel Friedman, PhD (Active Inference Institute) joins *No Way Out* to **decode John Boyd’s true OODA loop**—the one **Mary Ellen Boyd says most miss**.

  🔥 **LLMs & Linear OODA are wrong**  
  🔴 Most “OODA” diagrams = Plan-Do-Check-Act cartoon  
  🟢 **Active Inference = fractal, low-energy, surprise-minimizing OODA**

  ---
  🐜 **FROM ANT BRAINS TO 5TH-GEN WARFARE**  
  • Ant foraging = distributed OODA  
  • Free Energy Principle = path of *least surprise* (not least action)  
  • Mismatch = surprise = free energy → **minimize via active sensing**  
  • **Cognitive security** = new battlefield (Rand Waltzman 2017) 💬 

**QUOTE**  
  > “Active Inference is the **principle of least action** for cognitive systems.”  
  > — **Daniel Friedman**

🚀 **No Way Out Podcast**  
  New episodes every week.   
  #OODA #ActiveInference #FreeEnergyPrinciple #JohnBoyd

Daniel Friedman, PhD  on LinkedIn
Active Inference Institue
Daniel Friedman, PhD  Personal Website
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