Is coding a relevant metaphor for building AI? A commentary on "Is coding a relevant metaphor for the brain?", by Romain Brette

Is coding a relevant metaphor for building AI? A commentary on "Is coding a relevant metaphor for the brain?", by Romain Brette Abstract Brette contends that the neural coding metaphor is an invalid basis for theories of what the brain does (Brette, 2019). Here, we argue that it is an insufficient guide for building an artificial intelligence (AI) that learns to accomplish short-and long-term goals in a complex, changing environment. The goal of neuroscience is to explain how the brain enables intelligent behaviour, while the goal of agent-based AI is to build agents that behave intelligently. Neuroscience, Brette attests, has suffered from an exaggerated (and technically inaccurate) concern for the codes transmitted by particular parts of the brain.