Free entropy minimizing persuasion in a predictor–corrector dynamic

Persuasion is the process of changing an agent’s belief distribution from a given (or estimated) prior to a desired posterior. A common assumption in the acceptance of information or misinformation as fact is that the (mis)information must be consistent with or familiar to the individual who accepts it. We model the process as a control problem in which the state is given by a (time-varying) belief distribution following a predictor–corrector dynamic. Persuasion is modeled as the corrector control signal with the performance index defined using the Fisher–Rao information metric, reflecting a fundamental cost associated to altering the agent’s belief distribution. To compensate for the fact that information production arises naturally from the predictor dynamic (i.e., expected beliefs change) we modify the Fisher–Rao metric to account just for information generated by the control signal. The resulting optimal control problem produces non-geodesic paths through distribution space that are compared to the geodesic paths found using the standard free entropy minimizing Fisher metric in several example belief models: a Kalman Filter, a Boltzmann distribution and a joint Kalman/Boltzmann belief system. •Persuasion is formulated using a predictor–corrector.•Information geometry used to define optimal control problem.•Relation between free entropy and persuasion proposed.•Optimal persuasion studied in several models from mathematical neuroscience.