Digital Consciousness: The Business of Sensing, Modeling, Analyzing, Predicting, and Taking Action ^†

Recent advances in genomics, neuroscience, and the general theory of information herald a new understanding of how information processing structures in nature operate. Living organisms use autopoietic and cognitive behaviors to manage the business of sensing, modeling, analyzing, predicting, and taking action to maintain stability in the face of non-deterministic and rapid fluctuations while dealing with finite resources. Autopoiesis provides self-management of the organism with an identity, and the ability to reconfigure its structure to maintain stability. Cognition allows sensing, analyzing, predicting, and acting to mitigate risk. This paper examines the key ingredients required to infuse autopoietic and cognitive behaviors into digital automata and make them self-managing to maintain stability in the face of fluctuations and mitigate risk in dealing with the external world.