An Integrated World Modeling Theory (IWMT) of consciousness: Combining Integrated Information and Global Neuronal Workspace Theories with the Free Energy Principle and Active Inference Framework; towards solving the Hard problem and characterizing agentic causation

Abstract

The Free Energy Principle and Active Inference Framework (FEP-AI) begins with the understanding that persisting systems must regulate environmental exchanges and prevent entropic accumulation. In FEP-AI, minds and brains are predictive controllers for autonomous systems, where action-driven perception is realized as probabilistic inference. Integrated Information Theory (IIT) begins with considering the preconditions for a system to intrinsically exist, as well as axioms regarding the nature of consciousness. IIT has produced controversy because of its surprising entailments: quasi-panpsychism; subjectivity without referents or dynamics; and the possibility of fully-intelligent-yet-unconscious brain simulations. Here, I describe how these controversies might be resolved by integrating IIT with FEP-AI, where integrated information only entails consciousness for systems with perspectival reference frames capable of generating models with spatial, temporal, and causal coherence for self and world. Without that connection with external reality, systems could have arbitrarily high amounts of integrated information, but nonetheless would not entail subjective experience. I further describe how an integration of these frameworks may contribute to their evolution as unified systems theories and models of emergent causation. Then, inspired by both Global Neuronal Workspace Theory (GNWT) and the Harmonic Brain Modes framework, I describe how streams of consciousness may emerge as an evolving generation of sensorimotor predictions, with the precise composition of experiences depending on the integration abilities of synchronous complexes as self-organizing harmonic modes (SOHMs). These integrating dynamics may be particularly likely to occur via richly connected subnetworks affording body-centric sources of phenomenal binding and executive control. Along these connectivity backbones, SOHMs are proposed to implement loopy message passing (cf. turbo-codes) over predictive (autoencoding) networks, so generating maximum a posteriori estimates as coherent vectors governing neural evolution, with alpha frequencies generating basic awareness, and cross-frequency phase-coupling within theta frequencies for access consciousness and volitional control. These dynamic cores of integrated information also function as global workspaces, centered on posterior cortices, but capable of being entrained with frontal cortices and interoceptive hierarchies, so affording agentic causation. Integrated World Modeling Theory (IWMT) represents a synthetic approach to understanding minds that reveals compatibility between leading theories of consciousness, so enabling inferential synergy.

Conscious Agency from Fundamentally Embodied Minds: From Free Energy to Free Will and Back Again

“…A radically embodied cybernetic Bayesian brain suggests that consciousness may be the capacity of minds to support global workspaces (Baars, 2005), defined by dynamic cores of competing and cooperating patterns (Edelman et al, 2011;G Tononi & Edelman, 1998), which depend on-but are not identical to-a system's integrated information (G. Tononi, 2004). However, the deeply embodied perspective described here suggests that for systems to be conscious (Safron, 2019c(Safron, , 2019d, integrated information must apply to representations with experience-grounded meanings. Notably, these representations need not be explicitly defined symbols, but their semiotic content could be entailed in a cybernetic manner via the coordination of action and perception.…”

“…Note: For a more thorough exploration of consciousness that draws upon these ideas, please see "An Integrated World Modeling Theory (IWMT) of consciousness: Combining Integrated Information and Global Workspace Theories with the Free Energy Principle and Active Inference Framework; towards solving the Hard problem and characterizing agentic causation" (Safron, 2019d). For an even more thorough exploration, please see "Integrated World Modeling Theory (IWMT) Revisited" (Safron, 2019c).…”

The Predictive Global Neuronal Workspace: A Formal Active Inference Model of Visual Consciousness

“…Finally, it is worth mentioning that, although there have been proposals aimed at integrating other major theories of consciousness, such as integrated information theory (Oizumi, Albantakis & Tononi, 2014) with VFE and active inference (Safron, 2020a(Safron, , 2020b, these proposals remain largely at the level of conceptual analysis and do not afford the detailed simulations and resulting empirical predictions that are a straightforward consequence of the PGNW architecture. However, it remains an open question whether or not systematic relationships might be found between measures of integrated information and VFE in future work (for discussion on this topic see Friston, Wiese & Hobson, 2020).…”

As without, so within: how the brain's temporo-spatial alignment to the environment shapes consciousness

“…Among the various neuroscientific theories, the Temporo-spatial theory of consciousness (TTC) stands out in that it is one of the few-see also Integrated World Modeling Theory (IWMT) (Safron 2020(Safron , 2022-that considers the relationship of the brain to the environment as a key feature of consciousness (Northoff andZilio 2022a and. In that vein, the TTC proposes a particular mechanism, notably "temporo-spatial alignment" or alignment in short.…”