Toward Network Intelligence

This article proposes a conceptual framework to guide research in neural computation by relating it to mathematical progress in other fields and to examples illustrative of biological networks. The goal is to provide insight into how biological networks, and possibly large artificial networks such as foundation models, transition from analog computation to an analog approximation of symbolic computation. From the mathematical perspective, I focus on the development of consistent symbolic representations and optimal policies for action selection within network settings. From the biological perspective, I give examples of human and animal social network behavior that may be described using these mathematical models.