Intelligence science studies the essence and realization technology of intelligence, which is a frontier interdisciplinary subject created by brain science, cognitive science and artificial intelligence. Brain science studies the mechanism of natural intelligence from the molecular level, cell level and behavior level, establishes brain model, and reveals the essence of human brain. Cognitive science is the science that studies human perception, learning, memory, thinking, consciousness and other brain mental activity process. Artificial intelligence research uses artificial methods and technology to imitate, extend and expand human intelligence, and realize machine intelligence. Intelligence science should not only carry out functional simulation, but also study and explore new concepts, theories and methods of intelligence from the mechanism. Intelligence research should not only use reasoning, top-down, but also through learning, from the bottom to the top. Intelligence science studies the intelligent properties and behaviors of open systems by using the method of comprehensive integration.

Intelligence science is the quintessence of life science and the core of information science and technology. The forefront and commanding point of modern science and technology involve the deep mystery of natural science and touch on the basic proposition of philosophy. Therefore, once a breakthrough is made in intelligence science, it will have a profound and huge impact on the national economy, social progress and national security. At present, intelligence science is in the transformation period of methodology, the climax of theoretical innovation and the pioneering period of large-scale application, full of original opportunities.

The rise and development of intelligence science indicates that the research on human centered cognition and intelligent activities has entered a new stage. The research of intelligence science will make human self-understanding and self-control, and improve human's knowledge and intelligence to an unprecedented height. The phenomenon of life is complex, many problems have not been well explained, and the content that can be learned from it is also a large number of aspects. How to extract the most important and key problems and corresponding technologies from them is a long-term goal pursued by many scientists. In order to solve many difficulties faced by human beings in the 21st century, such as the great demand for energy, the pollution of environment, the exhaustion of resources and the expansion of population, it is not enough to rely on the existing scientific achievements alone. We must learn from biology and find a new way to develop science and technology. The research of intelligence science will establish the theoretical basis for the intelligent revolution, knowledge revolution and information revolution, and provide new concepts, new ideas and new ways for the development of intelligent systems.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, great attention has been paid to intelligence science and its related disciplines, such as brain science, neuroscience, cognitive science and artificial intelligence. On January 28, 2013, the European Union launched its flagship human brain project. On April 2, 2013, the United States launched the brain program. In September 2014, Japanese scientists announced the Brain/MINDS (Brain Mapping by Integrated Neurotechnologies for Disease Studies) program. On July 8, 2017, China State Council officially released the development plan for the new generation of artificial intelligence. On March 22, 2018, China established Beijing brain science and brain like research center. On August 7, 2018, Shanghai brain science and brain like research center was established. Countries all over the world are fighting for the commanding heights of high technology, trying to hold the leading position in the new round of international scientific and technological competition.


Cognitive Science

Cognition is the process and activity that brain, and nervous system produce mind. Cognitive science is a science that takes the cognitive process and its laws as the research object to explore how human intelligence is generated by matter and how human brain processes information . Specifically speaking, cognitive science is the frontier science to study the essence and law of human cognition and intelligence. The scope of cognitive science research includes cognitive activities at all levels including perception, attention, memory, behavior, language, reasoning, thinking, consciousness and emotion. By integrating philosophy, psychology, linguistics, anthropology, computer science and neuroscience, studying how information is transmitted in the process of cognition, resulting in cognitive science.

In recent decades, the theory of complex behavior has three main schools: new behaviorism, Gestalt psychology and cognitive psychology. All schools of psychology want to better understand how human body works. They study behavior from different aspects and emphasize different points in methodology. New behaviorism emphasizes objective experimental methods and requires strict control of experiments. Gestalt psychology believes that all forms and attributes are not equal to the sum of all parts. Cognitive psychology uses information processing to explain people's complex behaviors, which absorbs the beneficial results of behaviorism and Gestalt psychology. Cognitive psychology also believes that complex phenomena can only be studied by breaking down into the most basic parts.                

In the 1990s, cognitive science ushered in a new era of prosperity and development. With the emergence of brain imaging technology, cognitive scientists can observe the activities of different brain regions when people complete various cognitive tasks. Cognitive neuroscience has become one of the most active fields in cognitive science. Emotions, feelings and consciousness, which were regarded as taboos in the past, have become the hot topics of cognitive science research. The research object of cognitive science is no longer limited to the narrow sense cognitive activities such as perception, memory, language, reasoning and learning, but tries to cover all aspects of the mind. The mind is not only closely related to the structure and activity of the brain, but also the body is its important physical basis. The embodiment (involving the body) has become one of the key factors to understand the mystery of the mind. Not only that, the boundary of mind is extended beyond the body, and the material environment and social environment become its inseparable components, which is the basic proposition of extending cognition and extending mind. The theory of dynamic system strongly questions the theoretical basis of the mainstream cognitive science, namely, psychological representation and calculation, and advocates the use of differential equations and concepts such as phase change, attractor and chaos to depict and understand the nature of mind. From the perspective of evolution and adaptation, the formation and development of human cognitive ability, as well as the study of cognitive ability of other animal species, has become an important subject of cognitive science research in this period.

The development of cognitive science is highly valued and supported by the international scientific and technological circles, especially the governments of developed countries. Cognitive science research is the focus of the International Human Frontier Science program. Cognitive science and its information processing research are listed as one of the three major parts of the supporting technology (the other two parts are material and energy conversion). Perception and cognition, movement and behavior, memory and learning and language and thinking are listed as four of the 12 major focus issues of Human Frontier Science. In recent years, the United States and the European Union have launched Ten-Year Plan of Brain and Ten-Year Plan of European Union Brain, respectively. Japan has launched an ambitious Brain Science Era plan with a total budget of 20 billion US dollars. In the plan of Brain Science Era, the research of cognitive function and information processing of brain is the most important. All levels and aspects of human cognitive and intelligent activities, including perception, attention, memory, behaviors, language, reasoning and thinking, consciousness and even emotion, have been included in the focus of the study; the combination of cognitive science and information science to study new computers and intelligent systems has also been listed as one of the three aspects of the plan. 

Reference Books:

-Zhongzhi Shi: Intelligence Science: Leading the Age of Intelligence. Elsevier and Tsinghua University Press, 2021

-Zhongzhi Shi: Advanced Artificial Intelligence. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing, 2020

-Zhongzhi Shi: Mind Computation. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing, 2017

-Zhongzhi Shi: Cognitive Science. Hefei: China University of science and Technology Press, 2008

 - Zhongzhi Shi. Intelligence Science. Beijing: Tsinghua University Press, 2006

-Zhongzhi Shi: Intelligent Agent and Application, Science Press of China, 2000

- Zhongzhi Shi. Neural Computing. Electronic Industtry Publishers, 1994

-Zhongzhi Shi: Principle of Machine Learning, Beijing: International Academic Publishers,1992

- Zhongzhi Shi, Zhihua Yu.  Cognitive Science and Computer. Beijing: Popularization Publishers, 1990

-Zhongzhi Shi: Knowledge Engineering, Beijing: Tsinghua University Publishers, 1988