Collective Predictive Coding as Model of Science: Formalizing Scientific Activities Towards Generative Science

Tadahiro Taniguchi1, Shiro Takagi2, Jun Otsuka1, Yusuke Hayashi3, Hiro Taiyo Hamada4,
1Kyoto University, 2Independent Researcher 3AI Alignment Network 4ARAYA Inc.
Paper arXiv Slides Video
Conceptual Diagram

CPC-MS depicts science as a symbol emergent system that performs collective predictive coding.

Abstract

This paper proposes a new conceptual framework called Collective Predictive Coding as a Model of Science (CPC-MS) to formalize and understand scientific activities. Building on the idea of collective predictive coding originally developed to explain symbol emergence, CPC-MS models science as a decentralized Bayesian inference process carried out by a community of agents. The framework describes how individual scientists' partial observations and internal representations are integrated through communication and peer review to produce shared external scientific knowledge. Key aspects of scientific practice like experimentation, hypothesis formation, theory development, and paradigm shifts are mapped onto components of the probabilistic graphical model. This paper discusses how CPC-MS provides insights into issues like social objectivity in science, scientific progress, and the potential impacts of AI on research. The generative view of science offers a unified way to analyze scientific activities and could inform efforts to automate aspects of the scientific process. Overall, CPC-MS aims to provide an intuitive yet formal model of science as a collective cognitive activity

Overview of CPC-MS

Overview of CPC-MS

Collective Predictive Coding as Model of Science (CPC-MS) is a conceptual framework that models scientific activities as a collective predictive coding process carried out by a community of agents. The framework describes how individual scientists' partial observations and internal representations are integrated through communication and peer review to produce shared external scientific knowledge. At its core, CPC-MS views science as a decentralized Bayesian inference process where knowledge emerges through the collective efforts of scientists.

BibTeX

@article{taniguchi2024collective,
      title={Collective Predictive Coding as Model of Science: Formalizing Scientific Activities Towards Generative Science},
      author={Taniguchi, Tadahiro and Takagi, Shiro and Otsuka, Jun and Hayashi, Yusuke and Hamada, Hiro Taiyo},
      journal={arXiv preprint arXiv:2409.00102},
      year={2024}
    }