Scientists envision a future of AI devices sharing knowledge like a hive-mind, permitting fast, adaptable responses across fields, without the dangers of centralized control
Main computer scientists from institutions along with Loughborough University, MIT, and Yale have outlined a vision for the future of artificial intelligence that sounds factors of science fiction—particularly, the interconnected intelligence of Star Trek’s Borg.
In a perspective paper posted in Nature Machine Intelligence, the researchers depict the rise of “Collective AI”—a system wherein a couple of AI agents, each capable to learning and adapting independently, are networked together to continuously share knowledge and skills. This approach would allow AI structures to adapt more rapidly and efficiently via pooling their individual experience and insights.
The authors acknowledge the resemblance between this concept and the fictional Borg: cybernetic beings in the Star Trek universe that operate as a collective consciousness, constantly exchanging information through a unified network.
However, unlike many sci-fi narratives, the computer scientists envision Collective AI will lead to major positive breakthroughs throughout diverse fields.
Rapid Response Through Shared Intelligence
Loughborough University’s Dr Andrea Soltoggio, the research lead, defined: “Instant knowledge sharing throughout a collective community of AI units capable of continuously gaining knowledge of and adapting to new data will allow rapid responses to novel conditions, challenges, or threats.
“For instance, in a cybersecurity setting if one AI unit identifies a threat, it may quickly share knowledge and prompt a collective reaction – similar to how the human immune system protects the body from outdoor invaders.
“It can also cause the development of disaster response robots which could rapidly adapt to the conditions they are dispatched in, or personalized medical marketers that enhance health consequences with the aid of merging modern-day medical knowledge with patient-specific information.
“The capacity applications are vast and interesting.”
The researchers well known there are risks related with Collective AI – along with the quick spread of probably unethical or illicit information – however emphasize a critical safety factor of their vision: AI units keep their own targets and independence from the collective.
Dr Soltoggio stated, this will “bring about a democracy of AI retailers, significantly decreasing the risks of an AI domination by few large systems”
The computer scientists arrived at the conclusion that the future of AI lies in collective intelligence following an analysis of latest improvements in machine learning.
Technological Foundations of Collective AI
Their research – funded by the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) – found out global efforts are targeting on allowing lifelong learning (in which an AI agent can increase it’s knowledge throughout its operational lifespan) and developing universal protocols and languages with a purpose to allow AI systems to share knowledge with each other.
This differs from modern large AI models, which include ChatGPT, which have restricted lifelong learning and know-how-sharing talents. Such models accumulate most in their knowledge throughout energy-intense training periods and are unable to retain learning.
“Recent research trends are expanding AI models with the ability to constantly adapt once deployed, and make their knowledge reusable through different models, effectively recycling knowledge to optimize learning speed and energy demands,” stated Dr Soltoggio.
“We consider that the current dominating large, costly, non-shareable and non-lifelong AI models will now not continue to exist in a future in which sustainable, evolving, and sharing collective of AI units are possibly to emerge.”
He continued: “Human knowledge has developed incrementally over millennia thanks to communication and sharing.
“We trust similar dynamics are likely to arise in future societies of artificial intelligence units with a view to enforce democratic and taking part collectives.”
Vice-Chancellor and President of Loughborough University, Professor Nick Jennings, is an across the world recognized authority within the areas of AI, autonomous structures, cyber-security, and agent-based computing.
He stated of the perspective paper: “I’m overjoyed to see Loughborough researchers main in this important place of AI research.
“This paper helps set the schedule for the following wave of AI developments, based upon a multiple, interacting retailers. I look forward to seeing this vision turning into a fact in the coming years.”
