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What is OpenCog?
The Open Cognition Framework (OpenCog) is software for the collaborative development of safe and beneficial Artificial General Intelligence.
OpenCog provides research scientists and software developers with a common platform to build and share artificial intelligence programs. The framework includes:
- a flexible and highly optimized in-memory database for knowledge representation,
- a plug-in architecture for cognitive algorithms and a cognitive process scheduler,
- a built-in LISP-like programming language, and
- other components to support artificial intelligence research and development.
Programs written or adapted for OpenCog may be combined and used in concert with one another for experimentation or to achieve better results compared to their stand-alone counterparts.
Open Source Project
Source code, documentation, and community tools are accessible via the OpenCog page on Launchpad.
OpenCog borrows development philosophies from many projects, including Linux and Python. After OpenCog Framework 1.0 is released, the project will maintain a highly-inclusive approach to contributions, encouraging a liberal variety of new and replacement components and cognitive architectures, while at the same time enforcing principles of code quality and software architecture consistency.
All OpenCog projects will be released under an OSI-approved free software license.
Release Dates
While many parts of OpenCog are available already, the release of OpenCog Framework will occur likely before the end of the summer 2008. A firm release date has not been set -- it will be released when it's ready.
The release date depends on when the framework is "complete enough for release," when the codebase is mature enough that AI developers can use it, and gain value from it, without encountering too many irritating problems and obstacles. Coding, integration, documentation and testing in preparation for the OpenCog Framework 1.0 release are all active and ongoing, with the help of five part-time contributors to date.
A road map is available to indicate implementation goals and approximate completion dates which are subject to inevitable change due to the research components involved in the development of many parts in the system.
The Team
OpenCog is led by Dr. Ben Goertzel, who is Director of Research at the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence, and CEO of Novamente LLC and Biomind LLC.
He is joined in management of the OpenCog project by David Hart, Director of Open-Source Projects at the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence, and CEO of Atlantis Blue.
The Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence has funded one full-time software engineer (TBD) and one 2/3-time AI PhD (Joel Pitt) to work on OpenCog. Both these staff members will start in February. The engineer will focus on preparing the initial OpenCog code for release, whereas Joel will focus on implementing AI algorithms within the OpenCog framework.
As much of the initial OpenCog code is being donated by Novamente LLC, the preparation of the initial OpenCog release is being assisted by a number of individuals within Novamente LLC, including Andre Senna, Welter Silva, Cassio Pennachin and Linas Vepstas.
OpenCog Mailing List
We're not yet ready to open up the initial OpenCog code for volunteers to work on, and use in their research. This will happen sometime during 2008, hopefully by late summer.
Currently, we'd like to gather interested science/tech volunteers on a discussion group so that when OpenCog is ready, we know who's interested to help, and we can all start working together. If interested, please sign up to the OpenCog mailing list.
OpenCog Overview
- An Open-Source Software Framework for Integrative Artificial General Intelligence by David Hart and Ben Goertzel, for the AGI-08 Workshop on the Sociocultural, Ethical and Futurological Implications of Artificial General Intelligence (March 1-3, 2008)
Technical Information
During Spring 2008 (or at worst early Summer), extensive technical documentation about OpenCog will be posted on this wiki.
For the moment some brief technical overview information may be found on the OpenCog Technical Information page.
Sponsors
Major Sponsors
- Novamente LLC - founding sponsor and major contributor of personnelle and coding resources to the OpenCog project.
- Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence - founding sponsor and major contributor of funding for the project, $100K during 2008 to initiate OpenCog.
Contributing Sponsor
- Lifeboat Foundation - supporting the project by encouraging members to donate via its AIShield Fund
