Collective predictive coding as model of science: formalizing scientific activities towards generative science

This article proposes a new conceptual framework called collective predictive coding as a model of science (CPC-MS) to formalize and understand scientific activities. Building on the idea of CPC originally developed to explain symbol emergence, CPC-MS models science as a decentralized Bayesian infer...

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Main Authors: Tadahiro Taniguchi, Shiro Takagi, Jun Otsuka, Yusuke Hayashi, Hiro Taiyo Hamada
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The Royal Society 2025-06-01
Series:Royal Society Open Science
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Online Access:https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.241678
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author Tadahiro Taniguchi
Shiro Takagi
Jun Otsuka
Yusuke Hayashi
Hiro Taiyo Hamada
author_facet Tadahiro Taniguchi
Shiro Takagi
Jun Otsuka
Yusuke Hayashi
Hiro Taiyo Hamada
author_sort Tadahiro Taniguchi
collection DOAJ
description This article proposes a new conceptual framework called collective predictive coding as a model of science (CPC-MS) to formalize and understand scientific activities. Building on the idea of CPC originally developed to explain symbol emergence, CPC-MS models science as a decentralized Bayesian inference process carried out by a community of agents. The framework describes how individual scientists’ partial observations and internal representations are integrated through communication and peer review to produce shared external scientific knowledge. Key aspects of scientific practice like experimentation, hypothesis formation, theory development and paradigm shifts are mapped onto components of the probabilistic graphical model. This article discusses how CPC-MS provides insights into issues like social objectivity in science, scientific progress and the potential impacts of artificial intelligence on research. The generative view of science offers a unified way to analyse scientific activities and could inform efforts to automate aspects of the scientific process. Overall, CPC-MS aims to provide an intuitive yet formal model of science as a collective cognitive activity.
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spelling doaj-art-55a4fbf23b0945e3b266a4b8775b07082025-08-20T03:07:25ZengThe Royal SocietyRoyal Society Open Science2054-57032025-06-0112610.1098/rsos.241678Collective predictive coding as model of science: formalizing scientific activities towards generative scienceTadahiro Taniguchi0Shiro Takagi1Jun Otsuka2Yusuke Hayashi3Hiro Taiyo Hamada4Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University, Kyoto, JapanIndependent Researcher, Tokyo, JapanFaculty of Social Informatics, ZEN University, Kanagawa, JapanAI Alignment Network, Tokyo, JapanARAYA Inc., Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, JapanThis article proposes a new conceptual framework called collective predictive coding as a model of science (CPC-MS) to formalize and understand scientific activities. Building on the idea of CPC originally developed to explain symbol emergence, CPC-MS models science as a decentralized Bayesian inference process carried out by a community of agents. The framework describes how individual scientists’ partial observations and internal representations are integrated through communication and peer review to produce shared external scientific knowledge. Key aspects of scientific practice like experimentation, hypothesis formation, theory development and paradigm shifts are mapped onto components of the probabilistic graphical model. This article discusses how CPC-MS provides insights into issues like social objectivity in science, scientific progress and the potential impacts of artificial intelligence on research. The generative view of science offers a unified way to analyse scientific activities and could inform efforts to automate aspects of the scientific process. Overall, CPC-MS aims to provide an intuitive yet formal model of science as a collective cognitive activity.https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.241678collective predictive codingmodel of sciencemulti-agent systemBayesian inference
spellingShingle Tadahiro Taniguchi
Shiro Takagi
Jun Otsuka
Yusuke Hayashi
Hiro Taiyo Hamada
Collective predictive coding as model of science: formalizing scientific activities towards generative science
Royal Society Open Science
collective predictive coding
model of science
multi-agent system
Bayesian inference
title Collective predictive coding as model of science: formalizing scientific activities towards generative science
title_full Collective predictive coding as model of science: formalizing scientific activities towards generative science
title_fullStr Collective predictive coding as model of science: formalizing scientific activities towards generative science
title_full_unstemmed Collective predictive coding as model of science: formalizing scientific activities towards generative science
title_short Collective predictive coding as model of science: formalizing scientific activities towards generative science
title_sort collective predictive coding as model of science formalizing scientific activities towards generative science
topic collective predictive coding
model of science
multi-agent system
Bayesian inference
url https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.241678
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AT junotsuka collectivepredictivecodingasmodelofscienceformalizingscientificactivitiestowardsgenerativescience
AT yusukehayashi collectivepredictivecodingasmodelofscienceformalizingscientificactivitiestowardsgenerativescience
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