Embrace Uncertainty to Minimize Prediction Error

Organisms are primarily motivated to minimize prediction errors, improving their ability to predict and understand the world. This can be achieved through two mechanisms: acting to align the world with expectations, or learning by updating models based on sensory data. Both processes—acting and perceiving—are interconnected, representing different facets of the same effort to achieve goals or adjust expectations. The presence of error signals, which inform an organism of the distance to desired outcomes or discrepancies between predictions and reality, fosters learning and adaption. Additionally, engaging with uncertainty and novel experiences is essential as it facilitates the learning process and enhances predictive capabilities.