A Thousand Brains: A New Theory of Intelligence

by Jeff Hawkins

The brain takes a completely different approach to storing knowledge about a stapler: it learns a model. The model is the embodiment of knowledge. Imagine for a moment that there is a tiny stapler in your head. It is exactly like a real stapler—it has the same shape, the same parts, and it moves in the same ways—it’s just smaller. The tiny model represents everything you know about staplers without needing to put a label on any of the parts. If you want to recall what happens when the top of a stapler is pressed down, you press down on the miniature model and see what happens. Of course, there isn’t a tiny physical stapler in your head. But the cells in the neocortex learn a virtual model that serves the same purpose. As you interact with a real stapler, the brain learns its virtual model, which includes everything you have observed about the real stapler, from its shape to how it behaves when you use it. Your knowledge of staplers is embedded in the model. There isn’t a list of stapler facts and stapler rules stored in your brain.