Neurosymbolic workshop, June 6-8

[dmm]

research.samsung.com/sanw

Free registration, 9am-1pm USA East Coast Time each day

Comments

[dmm]

I am particularly interested in what Wolfgang Maass has to say; his track record is quite interesting:

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=2WpvdH0AAAAJ&hl=en

https://igi-web.tugraz.at/people/maass/

The first talk of the last day:

"Neural network function without learning: How can nature achieve that?"

Abstract:

It is reasonable to assume that the human brain acquires symbolic and logical reasoning capabilities not through learning, but through genetically encoded structural properties of neural networks of the human brain. But it has remained an open problem what these structural properties are. An understanding of them would not only provide substantial progress in brain science but also inspire new methods for endowing artificial neural networks with similar "innate" capabilities. Unfortunately, we are still far away from understanding those innate structural properties of neural networks in the brain that provide symbolic reasoning capabilities. But experimental data on generic cortical microcircuits elucidate the structural properties of neural networks in the brain that are likely to be involved. I will show that these structural features that are under genetic control provide a quite powerful "programming language" for inducing specific computational capabilities in neural networks, without a need for synaptic plasticity or other forms of learning. This insight gives rise to a new research program for solving the open problem of structural features of neural networks that are likely to induce symbolic and logical reasoning capabilities.