Machine Learning Street Talk (MLST)

ICLR 2020: Yoshua Bengio and the Nature of Consciousness

May 22, 2020
Yoshua Bengio, a pioneer in deep learning and Professor at the University of Montreal, dives into the intriguing intersection of AI and consciousness. He discusses the role of attention in conscious processing and explores System 1 and System 2 thinking as outlined by Daniel Kahneman. Bengio raises profound questions about the nature of intelligence and self-awareness in machines. He also addresses the implications of sparse factor graphs and the philosophical dimensions of consciousness, offering fresh insights into how these concepts can enhance AI models.
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INSIGHT

System 1 vs. System 2

  • System 1 thinking is intuitive, fast, and unconscious, like driving a familiar route.
  • System 2 is slower, conscious, and logical, used for planning and reasoning.
ANECDOTE

Eureka Moment in Humans

  • Yoshua Bengio's number memory experiment shows humans outperforming monkeys when System 2 cognition is engaged.
  • Monkeys perform similarly to humans on System 1 big data tasks.
INSIGHT

Verbalizable Knowledge

  • Verbalizable knowledge is structured around named concepts, linking language and thought.
  • This connection motivates research in natural language understanding and knowledge representation.
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