Simple Agents Learning to Add Useful Structures to the World

We provide a computationally tractable model of how organisms can learn to add structures to the world to reduce the complexity of their tasks. This model is then implemented using two techniques: first using a genetic algorithm, and then using the Q-learning algorithm. The results clearly show that organisms with only reactive behavior can learn to systematically add structures to the world to reduce their cognitive load. We show that such learning can happen in both evolutionary time and within an agent’s lifetime. An extension of this model (currently being implemented) is then illustrated, where organisms with just reactive behavior learn to systematically generate and use internal structures akin to representations.