Million Minds - Neuroscience-inspired AI Framework

3 min read Original article ↗

Creating a novel AI framework from the ground up based on neuroscience principles, exploring biologically-inspired intelligence systems

Concept

Million Minds is an ambitious project aimed at developing a novel AI framework inspired by the fundamental principles of neuroscience. Unlike traditional AI systems that rely heavily on deep learning and large datasets, Million Minds seeks to emulate the brain's architecture and functionality to create more efficient, adaptable, and intelligent systems.

Neuroscience Foundations

  • Brain is a sensorimotor, space processor
  • Brain operates in analog; no bits, no clocks, no messages
  • Brain has a repeating cortical structure
  • Each structure is running the same algorithm
  • Neurons don’t understand what they are doing, they leverage:
    • Sparse encoding
    • Homeostasis
    • Co-firing and association (Hebbian learning)
    • Predictive state
    • Oscillation
    • Layering

Benefits

  • True intelligence:
    • Builds direct, indirect and abstract world models
    • Learns patterns, concepts, relationships
  • Can learn at any time, learns continuously
  • Learning does not require retaining everything
  • Needs much less data to train
  • Uses far less memory, compute, energy to run
  • Modality agnostic, can work with text, image, audio, video, sensor data and more

Bottom Line

By grounding AI development in the principles that govern biological intelligence, Million Minds will overcome the limitations of current AI technologies, such as their lack of generalization, adaptability, and energy efficiency. This approach has the potential to achieve breakthroughs leading the way to AGI and beyond.

Latest Notes

  • Nov 16, 2025

    When this system is up and running, because it can learn continuously (unlike current AI), it will be just like Johnny 5 from Short Circuit movie.…

  • Nov 15, 2025

    Finally we have a sensor, a thalamus, a column and a voting module. It is all neuroscience legit although we did keep some things simple at the…

  • Nov 14, 2025

    I see the current AI as the next evolution of search.. It brings search into the context where i'm working.. therefore it can build more context…

Roadmap

Last Updated: Nov 15, 2025

Implement Basics

  • ✅ Sensor (Text Retina)

    Convert character-based text into multi-scale feature SDRs using biologically inspired “retina” patches

  • ✅ Thalamus

    Gate sensor SDRs and mark landmarks in the input text

  • ✅ Pose System

    Add sensorimotor grounding via 1-D grid-cell–like modules, internal to the cortical column

  • ✅ TransitionPool

    Build an associative memory with sparse projections

  • ✅ Cortical Column

    Implement a model that learns temporal transitions and pools stable features

  • ✅ Lateral Bus

    Calculate consensus between neighboring columns

  • Demo

    Run the system end-to-end and demonstrate learning and recall

More Advanced Features

  • Real synapse/segment-like TM

    Represent sub-patterns (dendritic segments) that detect specific combinations of bits on context

  • Homeostasis + sparsity control

    Adaptations per column based on usage so it doesn’t saturate or go silent.

  • Voting

    Use consensus to influence object SDR calculation in the column

  • Pose alignment between columns

    When object consensus is high, adjust pose slightly so pose overlap between columns increases

System-level Behavior

  • Inference mode

    Interact with the system, i.e. ask questions, get answers

  • Hierarchy / higher regions

    Higher-level columns to chunk smaller features into larger concepts

  • Replay / consolidation (offline pass)

    Keep the system from becoming a junkyard while still letting it learn long-term structure

  • A real motor system

    Necessary for mental simulation/planning and language generation

Other Modalities

  • Images
  • Videos
  • 3D Virtual Environment
  • Hardware sensors