Abstract
We propose a new type of self-aware systems inspired by ideas from higher-order theories of consciousness. First, we discuss the crucial distinction between introspection and reflexion. Then, we focus on computational reflexion as a mechanism by which a computer program can inspect its own code at every stage of the computation. Finally, we provide a formal definition and a proof-of-concept implementation of computational reflexion, viewed as an enriched form of program interpretation and a way to dynamically “augment” a computational process.
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Notes
- 1.
- 2.
In this definition, we put together self-representation and self-modification and, thus, the introspection and reflection features mentioned in Sect. 1.
- 3.
This statement is extracted from unpublished notes by Trautteur.
- 4.
Although a more general class of code modification is conceivable, we limit the focus on the modification by instruction insertion. As explained in the next point, the aim is to enrich the second process with information about the target process.
- 5.
Available at the URL http://valitutti.it/papers/reflexion/index.html.
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Valitutti, A., Trautteur, G. (2017). Providing Self-aware Systems with Reflexivity. In: Esposito, F., Basili, R., Ferilli, S., Lisi, F. (eds) AI*IA 2017 Advances in Artificial Intelligence. AI*IA 2017. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 10640. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70169-1_31
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