Toward a nomenclature consensus for diverse intelligent systems: Call for collaboration

Brett J Kagan; Michael Mahlis; Anjali Bhat; Josh Bongard; Victor M Cole; Phillip Corlett; Christopher Gyngell; Thomas Hartung; Bianca Jupp; Michael Levin; Tamra Lysaght; Nicholas Opie; Adeel Razi; Lena Smirnova; Ian Tennant; Peter Thestrup Wade; Ge Wang

doi:10.1016/j.xinn.2024.100658

Toward a nomenclature consensus for diverse intelligent systems: Call for collaboration

Innovation (Camb). 2024 Jun 17;5(5):100658. doi: 10.1016/j.xinn.2024.100658. eCollection 2024 Sep 9.

Authors

Brett J Kagan^{1

2}, Michael Mahlis¹, Anjali Bhat³, Josh Bongard⁴, Victor M Cole⁵, Phillip Corlett⁶, Christopher Gyngell⁷, Thomas Hartung^{8

9}, Bianca Jupp¹⁰, Michael Levin¹¹, Tamra Lysaght^{12

13}, Nicholas Opie¹⁴, Adeel Razi^{15

3}, Lena Smirnova¹⁶, Ian Tennant¹⁷, Peter Thestrup Wade^{18

3}, Ge Wang¹⁹

Affiliations

¹ Cortical Labs, Brunswick, VIC 3056, Australia.
² Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia.
³ Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK.
⁴ University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA.
⁵ Centre for Professional Communication, Singapore Institute of Technology, Singapore 138683, Singapore.
⁶ Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven , CT 06511, USA.
⁷ Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia.
⁸ Centre for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT), Bloomberg School of Public Health and Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Doerenkamp-Zbinden Chair for Evidence-based Toxicology, Baltimore , MD 21205, USA.
⁹ CAAT-Europe, University of Kostanz, 78464 Kostanz, Germany.
¹⁰ Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Prahran, VIC 3004, Australia.
¹¹ Allen Discovery Centre at Tufts University, Medford , MA 02155, USA.
¹² Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597, Singapore.
¹³ Faculty of Medicine and Health Sydney School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia.
¹⁴ Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia.
¹⁵ Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3168, Australia.
¹⁶ Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT), Bloomberg School of Public Health and Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore , MD 21205, USA.
¹⁷ Faculty of Engineering, AgriTech and Environment, Anglia Ruskin University, Peterborough PE1 5BW, UK.
¹⁸ Interacting Minds Centre, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
¹⁹ Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, Biomedical Imaging Center, Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA.

Abstract

Disagreements about language use are common both between and within fields. Where interests require multidisciplinary collaboration or the field of research has the potential to impact society at large, it becomes critical to minimize these disagreements where possible. The development of diverse intelligent systems, regardless of the substrate (e.g., silicon vs. biology), is a case where both conditions are met. Significant advancements have occurred in the development of technology progressing toward these diverse intelligence systems. Whether progress is silicon based, such as the use of large language models, or through synthetic biology methods, such as the development of organoids, a clear need for a community-based approach to seeking consensus on nomenclature is now vital. Here, we welcome collaboration from the wider scientific community, proposing a pathway forward to achieving this intention, highlighting key terms and fields of relevance, and suggesting potential consensus-making methods to be applied.

Publication types

Review