What is TAME in Biology? Summary
- TAME = Technological Approach to Mind Everywhere: It’s a framework, developed by Michael Levin and collaborators, for understanding and interacting with *diverse forms of intelligence*, regardless of their physical basis (biological, artificial, etc.).
- Beyond Human-Centric Thinking: TAME challenges the assumption that human-like intelligence is the only “true” form of intelligence. It embraces a broader, more inclusive view.
- A Gradualist View of Cognition: TAME doesn’t see a sharp line between “cognitive” and “non-cognitive” systems. Instead, it proposes a *spectrum* of cognitive abilities, from simple to complex.
- The “Axis of Persuadability”: A key concept is the *axis of persuadability* – how easily a system’s behavior can be changed, ranging from physical rewiring (like a clock) to rational argument (like a human).
- Focus on Goals: TAME emphasizes *goal-directed behavior* as a fundamental characteristic of intelligent systems, even at very basic levels (like cells).
- “Selves”. From single molecule to entire bodies, all exhibit different goal pursuits at their level of organization; selves can be, essentially, assigned according to competency at some relevant “goal” or “agenda”. This offers powerful implications for AI, for morphogenesis.
- The “Cognitive Light Cone”: This concept describes the scale of a system’s goals and its ability to influence its environment. A single cell has a small light cone; a multicellular organism has a larger one.
- Morphogenesis as Cognition: TAME views the development and regeneration of body form (morphogenesis) as a form of *basal cognition*, where cell collectives exhibit goal-directed behavior in “morphospace.”
- Bioelectricity’s Role: Bioelectric signaling, particularly through gap junctions, is seen as a key mechanism for *scaling up* cognition, allowing individual cells to work together towards larger-scale goals.
- Practical Applications: TAME has implications for regenerative medicine (controlling tissue growth), artificial intelligence (designing more adaptable systems), and even ethics (reconsidering our moral obligations to different forms of intelligence).
Beyond “Us vs. Them”: A New Framework for Intelligence
We often have a very narrow view of intelligence, limiting it to humans or animals with complex brains. We tend to think of a sharp dividing line between “intelligent” beings (like us) and “non-intelligent” things (like rocks, plants, or simple machines). But what if this is the wrong way to think about it?
TAME – the Technological Approach to Mind Everywhere – is a framework developed by Michael Levin and his collaborators (notably, the philosopher Thomas Metzinger was also involved) that challenges this narrow view. TAME proposes a much broader, more inclusive, and more *practical* way of understanding and interacting with intelligence in *all* its forms, whether it’s biological, artificial, or something else entirely.
A Gradualist View: The Spectrum of Cognition
One of the core ideas of TAME is *gradualism*. Instead of a sharp line between “intelligent” and “non-intelligent” systems, TAME proposes a *spectrum* of cognitive abilities. This relates closely with concepts such as Basal Cognition, and scaling up/scaling down of cellular intelligence.
At one end of the spectrum, you have very simple systems, like a thermostat, that have very limited ability to process information or adapt their behavior. At the other end, you have complex systems, like human brains, that can reason, plan, learn, and adapt in incredibly sophisticated ways.
But *in between*, there’s a vast range of systems with varying degrees of cognitive ability: bacteria, plants, slime molds, insect colonies, animal brains of different sizes and complexities, and even *cells and tissues* within our own bodies.
The levels of organization:
- Molecular
- Pathways
- Cells, tissues, whole body: exhibiting cognitive abilities on different, increasing “cognitive light cone” scope sizes.
- Bioelectricity has very strong effects on “integrating”, or binding the units below, into unified action/cognition capabilities.
The “Axis of Persuadability”: How to Influence a System
A key concept in TAME is the *axis of persuadability*. This describes how easy or difficult it is to change a system’s behavior, and *what kind* of intervention is required to do so.
Consider these examples:
- A Rock: To change the shape of a rock, you need to apply brute physical force – chipping, grinding, etc. It’s at the very low end of the persuadability axis.
- A Clock: To change the time displayed by a clock, you need to physically manipulate its mechanism – move the hands or adjust the settings. It’s slightly more persuadable than a rock, but still requires physical intervention.
- A Simple Robot: You can reprogram a simple robot by changing its software code. It’s more persuadable than a clock, as you don’t need to physically alter its hardware.
- An Animal: You can train an animal using rewards and punishments. It’s more persuadable than a robot, as its behavior can be shaped by experience.
- A Human: You can persuade a human using rational argument, evidence, and emotional appeals. This is the highest end of the persuadability axis.
- The degree by which a system can be influenced or altered defines how much “agency”.
- For simple hardware: only possible physical intervention is breaking/rebuilding.
- For more complex tissues, organs: training and new experiences alter its ability to process future inputs.
TAME suggests that the position of a system on this axis is a good indicator of its level of cognitive sophistication. The *more* ways a system can be influenced, and the *more abstract* those ways are (moving from physical force to information and communication), the more “intelligent” the system is.
Goal-Directed Behavior: The Hallmark of “Mind”
Another central idea in TAME is that *goal-directed behavior* is a fundamental characteristic of intelligent systems, even at very basic levels.
A “goal” doesn’t have to be a complex, conscious desire. It can be as simple as a bacterium moving towards a source of nutrients or a cell migrating to a wound site to repair damage. These examples involve stress signals, memory, and even learning – that’s where the term, cognition can reasonably applied.
TAME proposes that any system that exhibits goal-directed behavior – that acts in a way that tends to achieve a particular outcome – can be considered to have a “mind,” at least to some degree. This is a very broad definition of “mind,” but it’s a useful one for understanding the continuum of cognitive abilities in the natural world.
This involves not just individual cells, but also a collection (and “collections of collections”). For example, a group of gap-junction cells connected into one electrical network exhibit new computational properties. They may start “caring about” states, problems or other issues far outside just their narrow, previous scope; this emergent, bigger unit thus gains larger intelligence.
The “Cognitive Light Cone”: Scaling Up Goals
The *cognitive light cone* concept, which we’ve discussed before, is closely related to goal-directedness. It describes the scale of a system’s goals and its ability to influence its environment.
- A *single cell* has a relatively small cognitive light cone. Its goals are primarily focused on its own survival and immediate surroundings.
- A *multicellular organism* has a much larger cognitive light cone. Its goals can include things like finding food, avoiding predators, reproducing, and even building complex structures (like nests or hives).
Bioelectricity, particularly through gap junctions, plays a crucial role in *expanding* the cognitive light cone. By allowing cells to share information and coordinate their actions, gap junctions effectively create a larger, more intelligent “self.”
Morphogenesis as Cognition: Building Bodies with “Thought”
One of the most radical implications of TAME is that we can view *morphogenesis* – the development and regeneration of body form – as a form of *basal cognition*.
Even without neural-level pathways, cells and tissues can also process stress signals, memories. A frog, after cutting, rebuild itself toward intended form. When face structures are arranged, a developing froglet corrects errors. These surprising feats are very “goal-directed” – and that is why Michael Levin uses “cognitive-like” explaination model for them. It is a form of intelligence without any obvious centralized controllers/”brain”.
During development, cells collectively “solve the problem” of building a complex, functional organism. They do this by sensing their environment, communicating with each other, and adjusting their behavior to achieve a “target morphology” – the desired shape and structure of the body.
This is not just a pre-programmed, mechanical process. It’s a dynamic, adaptive, *goal-directed* process, where cells exhibit a kind of “intelligence” in their ability to coordinate their actions and achieve a specific outcome.
Practical Implications of TAME
TAME is not just a philosophical framework; it has practical implications for many fields:
- Regenerative Medicine: By understanding morphogenesis as a cognitive process, we can develop new strategies for controlling tissue growth and regeneration. We might be able to “persuade” cells to rebuild lost limbs or organs by providing the right bioelectric “instructions.”
- Artificial Intelligence: TAME suggests that we can build more adaptable and intelligent AI systems by mimicking the principles of biological cognition, such as goal-directedness, distributed information processing, and collective intelligence.
- Ethics: TAME challenges us to reconsider our moral obligations to different forms of intelligence. If even simple biological systems exhibit some degree of “mind,” how should we treat them? This is particularly relevant as we develop increasingly sophisticated AI systems and bioengineered constructs.
- Cancer: From being cells going into a rogue group to revert to ancient ways of single cell survival (by unlinking themselves from neighboring gap junction networks). This could involve how cancers ignore those normal “instructions”.
- Xenobots: These frog skin cells (not genetically modified, with typical frog cell components) can spontaneously create “creatures”, without any brains or typical neurons. How do cells accomplish such complex re-arrangement when cut from tissue? The latent capability found from such biological system demonstrates very clearly how cognitive behaviours at level of tissue – not merely just as single-celled microbes – can work toward a larger “outcome”.
- Anthromorphs: Studies showing, like xenobots, when given different pathways (being freed from their normal, default developmental process) can develop behaviours far from original tissues purpose. These “human cells” were also found demonstrating complex problem-solving traits.
TAME offers a powerful new way of thinking about intelligence, not as a unique human property, but as a fundamental aspect of life, present in diverse forms and at multiple scales. It opens up exciting new avenues for research and has the potential to transform many fields, from medicine to technology to our understanding of ourselves.