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Simulation and Collective
      Intelligence
          Gloria Origgi
      CNRS InstitutNicod
Workshop on Simulation, Paris ENS,
        June 16-18 2011
What are Simulations?

Computer simulations are a vast and
heterogeneous class, which contains
processes as varied as that of flying a plane,
the movement of people in public transport
systems, network-based computations,
strategic scenarios of warfare (kriegspiele) and
virtual reality scenarios of all kind
                    Hartmann, 1996
Climate Change Simulations
Agent Based Simulations
Flight Simulators
Crop Predictions




The Iowa agriculture landscape: Green areas are more productive for
soy, corn, and wheat; red are least. (Lanworth Company)
Different ways of conceptualizing
        simulations (Hartmann)
 Simulations as a technique: Investigate the
  detailed dynamics of a system
 Simulations as a heuristic tool: Develop
  hypotheses, models and theories
 Simulations as a substitute for an experiment:
  Perform numerical experiments
 Simulations as a tool for experimentalists:
  Support experiments
 Simulations as a pedagogical tool: Gain
  understanding of a process
A Fundamental Difference with
             Models:

No need for elegance and simplicity: Data
 crunching by computers is so powerful that
 we can complexify the input data in order to
 obtain a better empirical adequacy.
Simulations as Building Scenarios

 Scenarios are a political technique
 Three requirements:
   Credibility
   Legitimacy
   Salience
Haas/Stevens 2011: .

 Credibilitymeans that the knowledge claims are believed to
  be accurate: within a consensus theory of truth that means
  that they are publicly created through a deliberative
  process by people widely regarded as experts.
 Legitimacymeans that it is developed by people who have
  social authority, and that it is accepted by people outside
  the community that developed it. In practice this often
  rests on peer review and scholarly reputation.
 Saliencemeans that the information is timely, and is
  organized on a politically meaningful time scale and scale of
  resolution
Simulation and collectiveintelligence
My point:
 Computer simulations are prediction-driven. If you cannot control
  the accuracy of the calculation, you can control the correctness of
  prediction.
 In this sense, the are a special class of models that bears a strong
  relation with policy-making and political/economical institutions.
 The questions simulations are supposed to answer arent always
  questions that raise within the scientific community, rather, they
  are normative charged societal questions that are put forward by a
  political agenda.
 This raises a problem of prediction and focus. Many events have
  been not predicted because of a blindness of the models, that were
  able to answer only the top-down questions put on the table by
  policy makers.
Simulation and collectiveintelligence
Computer Simulation: The End of
               Theory?
Chris Anderson: The quest for knowledge used to
  begin with grand theories. Now it begins with
  massive amounts of data. Welcome to the
  Petabyte Age. Petabytes allow us to say:
  "Correlation is enough." We can stop looking for
  models. We can analyze the data without
  hypotheses about what it might show. We can
  throw the numbers into the biggest computing
  clusters the world has ever seen and let statistical
  algorithms find patterns where science cannot.
Example: Google
 Google spell checker doesnt have any model
  of language or grammar, just correlates the
  number of yes triggered by a certain
  spelling.
 Google translator
 Craig Venters sequencing of entire
  ecosystems.
Is collective intelligence a kind of
            simulation?
Simulation and collectiveintelligence
Simulation and collectiveintelligence
Simulation and collectiveintelligence
Simulation and collectiveintelligence
Simulation and collectiveintelligence
Simulation and collectiveintelligence
Simulation and collectiveintelligence
SITES




HUBS
AUTHORITIES



SITES




 HUBS
Simulation and collectiveintelligence
Simulation and collectiveintelligence
Simulation and collectiveintelligence
Simulation and collectiveintelligence
Simulation and collectiveintelligence
Simulation and collectiveintelligence
Simulation and collectiveintelligence
THANK YOU!
    THANK YOU!

More Related Content

Simulation and collectiveintelligence

  • 1. Simulation and Collective Intelligence Gloria Origgi CNRS InstitutNicod Workshop on Simulation, Paris ENS, June 16-18 2011
  • 2. What are Simulations? Computer simulations are a vast and heterogeneous class, which contains processes as varied as that of flying a plane, the movement of people in public transport systems, network-based computations, strategic scenarios of warfare (kriegspiele) and virtual reality scenarios of all kind Hartmann, 1996
  • 6. Crop Predictions The Iowa agriculture landscape: Green areas are more productive for soy, corn, and wheat; red are least. (Lanworth Company)
  • 7. Different ways of conceptualizing simulations (Hartmann) Simulations as a technique: Investigate the detailed dynamics of a system Simulations as a heuristic tool: Develop hypotheses, models and theories Simulations as a substitute for an experiment: Perform numerical experiments Simulations as a tool for experimentalists: Support experiments Simulations as a pedagogical tool: Gain understanding of a process
  • 8. A Fundamental Difference with Models: No need for elegance and simplicity: Data crunching by computers is so powerful that we can complexify the input data in order to obtain a better empirical adequacy.
  • 9. Simulations as Building Scenarios Scenarios are a political technique Three requirements: Credibility Legitimacy Salience
  • 10. Haas/Stevens 2011: . Credibilitymeans that the knowledge claims are believed to be accurate: within a consensus theory of truth that means that they are publicly created through a deliberative process by people widely regarded as experts. Legitimacymeans that it is developed by people who have social authority, and that it is accepted by people outside the community that developed it. In practice this often rests on peer review and scholarly reputation. Saliencemeans that the information is timely, and is organized on a politically meaningful time scale and scale of resolution
  • 12. My point: Computer simulations are prediction-driven. If you cannot control the accuracy of the calculation, you can control the correctness of prediction. In this sense, the are a special class of models that bears a strong relation with policy-making and political/economical institutions. The questions simulations are supposed to answer arent always questions that raise within the scientific community, rather, they are normative charged societal questions that are put forward by a political agenda. This raises a problem of prediction and focus. Many events have been not predicted because of a blindness of the models, that were able to answer only the top-down questions put on the table by policy makers.
  • 14. Computer Simulation: The End of Theory? Chris Anderson: The quest for knowledge used to begin with grand theories. Now it begins with massive amounts of data. Welcome to the Petabyte Age. Petabytes allow us to say: "Correlation is enough." We can stop looking for models. We can analyze the data without hypotheses about what it might show. We can throw the numbers into the biggest computing clusters the world has ever seen and let statistical algorithms find patterns where science cannot.
  • 15. Example: Google Google spell checker doesnt have any model of language or grammar, just correlates the number of yes triggered by a certain spelling. Google translator Craig Venters sequencing of entire ecosystems.
  • 16. Is collective intelligence a kind of simulation?
  • 33. THANK YOU! THANK YOU!