Genetic AI: Translating Piaget into Lisp

Abstract

This paper presents a constuctivist model of human cognitive development during infancy. According to constructivism, the elements of mental representation -- even such basic elements as the concept of physical object -- are constructed afresh by each individual, rather than being innately supplied. Here I propose a (partially specified, not yet implemented) mechanism, the Schema Mechanism; this mechanism is intended to achieve a series of cognitive constructions characteristic of infants' sensorimotor-stage development, primarily as described by Piaget. In reference to Piaget's 'genetic epistemology', I call this approach genetic AI -- 'genetic' not in the sense of genes, but in the sense of genesis: development from the point of origin.