Computational Concept of the Psyche
2026-03-16 • Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence
AI summaryⓘ
The authors review different ways to model the human mind and propose a new idea where the mind acts like an operating system that manages needs and decisions. They suggest building artificial intelligence by teaching an agent to learn from experiences related to its needs, sensations, and actions. The goal is to create AI that makes the best choices under uncertainty to meet its needs safely and efficiently. They also present a simple experimental version of their model.
cognitive architectureartificial general intelligencestate spacedecision-makingexperiential learningagent-based modelsexistential risksenergy efficiencyneeds theorycomputational formalization
Authors
Anton Kolonin, Vladimir Krykov
Abstract
This article presents an overview of approaches to modeling the human psyche in the context of constructing an artificial one. Based on this overview, a concept of cognitive architecture is proposed, in which the psyche is viewed as the operating system of a living or artificial subject, comprising a space of states, including the state of needs that determine the meaning of a subject's being in relation to stimuli from the external world, and intelligence as a decision-making system regarding actions in this world to satisfy these needs. Based on this concept, a computational formalization is proposed for creating artificial general intelligence systems for an agent through experiential learning in a state space that includes agent's needs, taking into account their biological or existential significance for the intelligent agent, along with agent's sensations and actions. Thus, the problem of constructing artificial general intelligence is formalized as a system for making optimal decisions in the space of specific agent needs under conditions of uncertainty, maximizing success in achieving goals, minimizing existential risks, and maximizing energy efficiency. A minimal experimental implementation of the model is presented.