Challenges for artificial cognitive systems

TL;DR

This paper defines the key challenges for developing artificial cognitive systems, emphasizing the importance of learning from experience and flexible knowledge use to achieve autonomous goals.

Contribution

It formulates specific challenges for artificial cognitive systems based on a clear definition emphasizing learning and goal-oriented knowledge application.

Findings

Defines what constitutes a cognitive system.

Identifies key challenges for progress in the field.

Provides guidelines for future research directions.

Abstract

The declared goal of this paper is to fill this gap: "... cognitive systems research needs questions or challenges that define progress. The challenges are not (yet more) predictions of the future, but a guideline to what are the aims and what would constitute progress." -- the quotation being from the project description of EUCogII, the project for the European Network for Cognitive Systems within which this formulation of the 'challenges' was originally developed (http://www.eucognition.org). So, we stick out our neck and formulate the challenges for artificial cognitive systems. These challenges are articulated in terms of a definition of what a cognitive system is: a system that learns from experience and uses its acquired knowledge (both declarative and practical) in a flexible manner to achieve its own goals.