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Lex Fridman Podcast

#106 – Matt Botvinick: Neuroscience, Psychology, and AI at DeepMind

Jul 3, 2020
Matt Botvinick, Director of Neuroscience Research at DeepMind, bridges neuroscience and AI with his expertise in cognitive psychology. He discusses how much of the brain remains a mystery and the environmental factors shaping cognition. The conversation delves into the prefrontal cortex's adaptability, the complexities of neuronal communication, and insights into meta-reinforcement learning. Botvinick also raises intriguing questions about AI's potential for human connection and the ethical implications of creating emotionally aware machines.
02:01:00

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Quick takeaways

  • The prefrontal cortex functions as a meta reinforcement learning system, showcasing how neural networks evolve to adapt and learn based on experience.
  • Neurons communicate through a rate code, highlighting the frequency of neural spiking as a key mechanism of information transmission in the brain.

Deep dives

Prefrontal Cortex as a Meta Reinforcement Learning System

The prefrontal cortex functions as a meta reinforcement learning system, where neural networks evolve to adapt and learn based on experience. This concept mirrors human meta learning, where learning to learn becomes easier with exposure to diverse tasks. Recurrent neural networks trained with reinforcement learning algorithms reveal a spontaneous emergence of meta learning capabilities, showcasing that slow synaptic changes shape network dynamics into a learning algorithm.

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