Cybernetics and the Origins of Artificial Intelligence

A Role for Bottom-Up Synthetic Cells in the Internet of Bio-Nano Things?

“…In the long run, however, higher degrees of autonomy and agency will make bottom-up SCs more like organisms than machines [ 29 , 43 , 73 , 74 ]. Together with the engineering principles, it should be mentioned that the practice of constructing SCs involves considerations referring to theoretical-biology issues, particularly to (i) the theory of autopoiesis [ 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 ]—with its double implications for life and cognition [ 79 , 80 ]; (ii) the epistemology of synthetic methods for generating scientific knowledge [ 43 , 44 , 46 , 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 , 86 ]; (iii) the origin of life , because SCs can be designed and constructed to be models of primitive cells [ 87 , 88 , 89 , 90 ]. The versatility of bottom-up SCs brings about a wide range of interests and possible uses.…”

“…What makes the idea of constructing SCs from scratch attractive is the potential for full design and programmability. In a sense, SCs can be conceived as the wetware implementation of artificial systems [ 81 , 83 , 86 ], to be placed side by side with software and hardware ones (e.g., AI algorithms and robots, respectively; see Table 2 ). This feature is certainly fascinating and relates to the human desire and ability to fabricate artificial systems that simulate biological ones, in terms of being alive and intelligent—somewhat resonating with the ancient Prometheus myth.…”

“…Technical advancements from the biochemical/molecular biology perspectives are thus fundamental to reaching these goals. We also suggest that recalling theoretical considerations based on the first and second cybernetics [ 126 , 178 , 179 , 180 ] and artificial/biological mirroring [ 81 ] (information processing, communication, homeostasis, feedback, autonomy, etc.) can powerfully boost SB approaches: it is possible to learn from explored topics, issues, and solutions in cybernetics and apply them to SB artifacts.…”

Chemical Systems for Wetware Artificial Life: Selected Perspectives in Synthetic Cell Research

“…Some approaches within SB can be considered to be the wetware version of AL, and, in general, one of the three pillars of the “Sciences of the Artificial” [ 7 ]; see Figure 1 . SB operates in the bio-chemical domain made of molecules, supramolecular systems, colloidal structures and reaction networks, and so offers an unprecedented opportunity to model life and cognition in a way that hardware and software approaches cannot achieve.…”

From cybernetic networks to social narratives: Mapping value in mental health systems beyond individual psychopathology.

“…At the Macy Conferences mentioned earlier, methods and theories from linguistics, biology, and the emerging computer sciences were steadily refashioned into cybernetic research programs with the goal of mapping processes underlying organic (including human) systems in the same terms as those referring to inorganic ones. Such approaches have been instrumental in developing a conceptual foundation for current machine-learning AI systems (Cordeschi, 2002)—a set of tools used increasingly by psychologists to produce computer models of networks ranging from neuronal assemblies to cultural groups. As described by Orit Halpern (2014) From the start, despite disavowals by many prominent practitioners, the ideas of communication and control were applied to theorizing and reenvisioning systems, both sociological and biological.…”