The Tensor Brain: A Unified Theory of Perception, Memory and Semantic Decoding

We present a unified computational theory of perception and memory. In our model, perception, episodic memory, and semantic memory are realized by different functional and operational modes of the oscillating interactions between an index layer and a representation layer in a bilayer tensor network (BTN). The memoryless semantic {representation layer} broadcasts information. In cognitive neuroscience, it would be the "mental canvas", or the "global workspace" and reflects the cognitive brain state. The symbolic {index layer} represents concepts and past episodes, whose semantic embeddings are implemented in the connection weights between both layers. In addition, we propose a {working memory layer} as a processing center and information buffer. Episodic and semantic memory realize memory-based reasoning, i.e., the recall of relevant past information to enrich perception, and are personalized to an agent's current state, as well as to an agent's unique memories. Episodic memory stores and retrieves past observations and provides provenance and context. Recent episodic memory enriches perception by the retrieval of perceptual experiences, which provide the agent with a sense about the here and now: to understand its own state, and the world's semantic state in general, the agent needs to know what happened recently, in recent scenes, and on recently perceived entities. Remote episodic memory retrieves relevant past experiences, contributes to our conscious self, and, together with semantic memory, to a large degree defines who we are as individuals.