The theoretically elegant yet broadly functional capability of graphical models shows intriguing potential to span in a uniform manner perception, cognition and action; and thus to ultimately yield simpler yet more powerful integrated architectures for intelligent robots and other comparable systems. This position paper explores this potential, with initial support from an effort underway to develop a graphical architecture that is based on factor graphs (with piecewise continuous functions).

Desiderata for cognitive architectures that are to support the extent of human-level intelligence required in virtual humans imply the need to bridge a range of dichotomies faced by such architectures. The focus here is first on two general approaches to building such bridges — addition and reduction — and then on a pair of general tools – graphical models and piecewise continuous functions — that exploit the second approach towards developing such an architecture. Evaluation is in terms of the architecture’s demonstrated ability and future potential for bridging the dichotomies.

The starting point is an ongoing effort to structure underlying intelligent behavior, whether intended reconstruct cognitive architectures from the ground up via as models of human intelligence and/or implementations of graphical models (Koller and Friedman 2009), with the artificial intelligence (Langley, Laird and Rogers 2009). A aim of understanding existing architectures better, basic cognitive architecture may comprise memories, exploring the overall space of architectures, and decision algorithms, learning mechanisms, and some developing new and improved architectures (Rosenbloom means of interacting with external environments.

The architectural approach to AI focuses on the fixed structure underlying intelligence. Applying it to statistical relational AI should further stimulate the application of statistical relational techniques across AI, while focusing research on their commonalities, (in)compatibilities and integration. It could also yield new architectures that are simpler yet more comprehensive than today’s best.