Summary of Michael Levin: Intelligence Beyond the Brain

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00:00:00 - 01:00:00

In this video, Michael Levin discusses how morphogenesis and development are examples of intelligence beyond the brain. He argues that understanding these processes is important for understanding the origins and evolution of intelligence. He also discusses how electrical networks in the brain are used to store and represent complex patterns, and how bioelectricity may be used to transmit information between cells.

00:00:00 Professor Michael Levin discusses how morphogenesis and development are both examples of "intelligence beyond the brain." He emphasizes the importance of understanding the process of morphogenesis to better understand the origins and evolution of intelligence.
00:05:00 Michael Levin discusses the multi-scale competency architecture used by biology, the goal-directedness of cells, and the importance of electrical networks in cognitive scaling. He then discusses morphogenesis, a process by which cells navigate a particular problem space. He argues that synthetic bioengineering will enable the creation of bodies and minds that do not have standard evolutionary backstories.
00:10:00 The video discusses how changes to the brain, such as during metamorphosis, can lead to different types of cognitive abilities. It also discusses how changes in the brain can persist throughout a creature's lifetime, even after many generations.
00:15:00 Michael Levin discusses his theory of multi-scale competency architecture, which posits that all of the different components of an organism - from cells to whole animals - are capable of solving problems in various spaces. He argues that this is evidence of intelligence, and that measuring intelligence in different spaces is difficult.
00:20:00 In this video, Michael Levin discusses the definition of intelligence and how it differs from the definition commonly used in the biological sciences. He goes on to say that, while we understand a great deal about the hardware involved in intelligence, we still don't understand how intelligence arises from a collection of cells. He concludes by saying that the goal of intelligence research is to understand how different means of achieving a goal can be used to achieve the same end.
00:25:00 In this video, Michael Levin describes intelligence as the ability to harness your micro states and actions to reach a particular macro state, and to do so in different ways depending on local context. He also introduces the idea of amorphous space, which is a virtual multi-dimensional space that contains all the variables needed to set a particular anatomical structure. Finally, he discusses the concept of regeneration, which is the ability of living things to regenerate missing body parts.
00:30:00 The video discusses how cells can adapt to their environment by changing their morphology. It highlights one example of this, where tadpoles' faces are moved in order to make them into frogs. If we could learn to decode and rewrite the pattern that governs this adaptation, we could make changes to the system without having to go through the difficult process of changing things down here. This would open up a lot of opportunities for advancing fields such as Crispr technology and genomic editing.
00:35:00 Michael Levin discusses how electrical networks in the brain are used to store and represent complex patterns, and how bioelectricity may be used to transmit information between cells. He demonstrates how this information is used to control muscles and move the body in three dimensions.
00:40:00 The video illustrates how electrical signals play a role in the development of the face. The model shows how a frog embryo's face is pre-determined by bioelectric signals that are set before genes are expressed. Pathological patterns are also shown, with one example being an oncogene that triggers a depolarization in cells. By understanding how bioelectric signals control development, engineers can create more efficient and controlled systems.
00:45:00 The plenary is a type of worm that does not age and is highly regenerative. This bioelectrical map is a latent memory that is used only when the worm is injured.
00:50:00 This video discusses the research of Michael Levin on intelligence beyond the brain. He describes how memories and computational properties can be found at different levels of organization, and how a full stack model can be created to understand and control these properties.
00:55:00 The video discusses the idea that individual cells scale up in size and complexity as they work towards a common goal, and that this process of scaling can lead to the development of complex cognition. It goes on to discuss how the breaking down of this cognitive glue can lead to the development of cancer cells. The video finishes by discussing the idea of the technological approach to mind, which posits that the development of complex cognition can be explained by the way that individual cells scale up and work towards a common goal.

01:00:00 - 01:50:00

In this video, Michael Levin discusses how different types of intelligence can be compared and contrasted by their scale of goals that they can maintain. He also discusses how the ability of collectives to store larger goal states is a key similarity between different types of intelligence.

01:00:00 In this video, Michael Levin discusses how different types of intelligence can be compared and contrasted by their scale of goals that they can maintain. He also discusses how the ability of collectives to store larger goal states is a key similarity between different types of intelligence.
01:05:00 In this video, Michael Levin discusses how the Xenopus-Levas genome has evolved the ability to von Neumann's dream, which is making a machine that assembles copies of itself from material it finds in its environment. This mechanism for kinematic replication does not exist anywhere else in the biological world, and is an example of how evolution can create complex, adaptive agents.
01:10:00 Michael Levin discusses the similarities between the electric map, which emerges from the behavior of cells, and consciousness, which is generated by the action of cells in the brain. He says that although there is no one definition of consciousness, the indexes into which physical states correspond may be analogous to the definition.
01:15:00 Michael Levin discusses how evolution has created bioelectric interfaces that allow for goal-directed behavior. He notes that accidental disruption is a common occurrence, and suggests that evolutionary pressure may be responsible for the development of these interfaces.
01:20:00 Michael Levin discusses how evolution has created systems that are both simple and forgiving, allowing for easy adaptation. He also discusses how certain systems, such as morphogenesis, can be more efficiently controlled at higher levels of competency.
01:25:00 Michael Levin discusses how the scaling of cognition happens, with cells sharing memories and becoming more complex as they do. This can help to create larger, more intelligent entities.
01:30:00 In a talk on intelligence, Michael Levin describes how the gap junction protein influences neural networks and how it can be used to enhance contrast in voltage gradients between organ boundaries. He also discusses how this strategy can be used to enhance the development of different organs in embryos.
01:35:00 Michael Levin discusses the idea that intelligence exists beyond the brain, and how this idea is supported by research into the way that biological systems don't take prior experience too seriously. He goes on to discuss the theory of individuality, which posits that different parts of a system can be intelligent. He concludes by discussing the idea of higher level abstract theories behind intelligence, and how one could hope to find such theories in the future.
01:40:00 Michael Levin discusses the idea that living things cannot rely on past experience to learn and adapt, instead needing to construct their knowledge from scratch. He also discusses the idea of active inference and how it helps living things learn and adapt.
01:45:00 Michael Levin discusses the scale-free nature of complex systems, which suggests that agents at any size or location can exhibit complex behaviors. He mentions the possible application of these concepts to large-scale organizations, and notes that empirical evidence is necessary to support these claims.
01:50:00 Michael Levin discusses the idea that humans are part of a larger intelligence, and how knowing this could change how one lives their life. He talks about specific cells that can change the largest scale, and apologizes for having to leave.