Brain-inspired Method for Hyper-connected and
Distributed Intelligence
Sang Ki Kim
Network Research Division
Electronics and Telecommunication Research Institute
Daejeon, Korea
kimsang@etri.re.kr
Abstract — In a large-scale IoT environment such as a future
smart city, various sensors and autonomous cars/drones/robots
collect and process a wide variety of data. However existing
monolithic or silo style operation of smart city makes hard to
solve the problem when an unseen complex event occurs. In this
paper, we suggest a structure and method of distributed
intelligence processing which mimics the function and network
structure of the brain in order to efficiently control the complex
situations. Our approach utilizes local and rapid processing in
parallel as well as global and exploratory processing through
cooperation and competition between local intelligence. It will
give us an opportunity to realize the autonomous problem
solving on a large scale hyper-connected network
infrastructure, by finding an emergence structure of distributed
intelligence that mimics human consciousness process.
Keywords— Brain Network, Automatic Thinking, Conscious
Thinking, Global Workspace Theory, Artificial Consciousness
I. INTRODUCTION
In a future hyper-connected intelligent society where
everyday gadgets are connected to the Internet, the
combination of near-infinite computing resources with a huge
amount of data collected from IoT sensors will make a way to
superhuman intelligence and autonomous services in all areas
of industry[1]. For example, numerous intelligent edge
devices will interact via hyper-connected networks, and
energy-constrained devices will offload complex and
computationally-intensive tasks to networks with fog
computing servers, infrastructure edge cloud, or in-network
computation nodes. Many distributed or decentralized
intelligent processing nodes can create new converged
intelligence through cooperation and competition in the form
of a multi-agent system or swarm intelligence. Figure 1 shows
a hyper-connected and distributed intelligent service
environment in the future.
Fig. 1. Future intelligent service environment
In order to realize such a superhuman intelligence
performance, AI researchers try to utilize the state-of-the-art
human brain research. Artificial neural networks have been
978-1-7281-4985-1/20/$31.00 ©2020 IEEE
Sunme Kim
Network Research Division
Electronics and Telecommunication Research Institute
Daejeon, Korea
kimsunme@etri.re.kr
created on the basis of mathematical models of the brain, and
have recently evolved to deep learning. However, most of
these machine learning methods have centralized model that
concentrates data to train the model in places such as large
cloud centers, and only makes an inference using derived
models at device.
This includes many problems such as network latency,
bandwidth consumption, data privacy, and restrictions in
information sharing between domains due to silo structure. As
a result, there is a tendency to move intelligence processing in
the cloud into fog computing or edge computing environment.
However, when applying the existing centralized intelligence
processing methods to these distributed computing
environments directly without change, it is impossible to solve
the existing problems or provide the benefits of the distributed
or decentralized architecture.
To overcome those problems, we proposes a hyper-
connected and distributed intelligent service method which
mimics the information processing structure of the brain
composed of numerous neurons and synapses. Our approach
provides local automatic cognitive method for learning and
problem solving with local data and experience knowledge in
a distributed computing environment, as well as a global
problem-solving structure and methodology with the help of
specialist agents in other domains with different knowledge
and cognitive functions, when encountering new problems
that cannot be solved with existing knowledge.
II. RELATED WORK
The cognitive mechanism of the human brain has been the
main inspiration for artificial intelligence for decades.
Recently, as research on the structure and function of the brain
has progressed, artificial intelligence research that mimics the
brain brings better results. As the most of the current work in
the neural network of AI field has been constrained to emulate
the synaptic connections between neurons in the cortex of
brain, other human cognitive functions are becoming
increasingly relevant[2]. Our work is one of digital
reproduction for these human cognitive capabilities.
The architecture of human brain network also has attracted
significant attention in the research area of next generation
Internet. For example, inter-modular assortment in the
cerebral cortex of human brain has made an inspiration to the
construction model of virtual wireless sensor
network(VWSN) topology[3].
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 According to the recent neuroscience understanding, the
topological features of human brain network support the
segregation and integration of incoming stimuli to facilitate
flexible cognition and behavior[4]. These characteristics come
from the complex brain network features such as modularity,
a small-world network, and a rich-club organization[5]. In
other words, the human brain has local segregation based on
modularity as well as global integration based on a rich-club
organization as shown in figure 2.
• The local segregation model may provide a fast,
specialized, automatic, unconscious way of low-cost
thinking to a limited set of tasks on the basis of existing
learning experiences.
• The global integration model may provide a slow but
flexible and deliberate way of high-cost thinking for
forecasting, planning, and solving problems that have
not been experienced before.
Automatic thinking is processed in parallel in the
functional areas of the brain, whereas conscious thinking
involves a series of thoughts through the focus of attention.
Fig. 2. Cognitive functional model of the human brain
As a representative model of the global cognitive model,
the global workspace theory(GWT) suggests that the
emergence of consciousness occurs through the global work
area of the cerebral association cortex. In this theory multiple,
parallel, and specialist processes compete and co-operate for
access to a global workspace. Gaining access to the global
workspace allows a winning coalition of processes to
broadcast information back out to the entire set of
specialists[6]. We propose a distributed intelligent processing
model on the basis of this theory.
Further global workspace model can be applied to the
study of dynamic human consciousness in order to understand
the differences between conscious and unconscious brain
events[7,8]. We may extend emergence structure of artificial
consciousness based on the dynamic global workspace
researches in the future.
III. BRAIN-INSPIRED APPROACH TO DISTRIBUTED
INTELLIGENCE
A. Brain-inspired structure of distributed intelligence
The functional elements of the distributed intelligence
mimicking the brain and their interactions are shown in figure
3. The distributed intelligent node contains functional
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elements emulating the cerebral cortex, amygdala and
hippocampus of the limbic system, and basal ganglia, which
are the main components of the human brain.
Fig. 3. Structure of distributed intelligence node
The cerebral cortex contains sensory cortex (SC) that
receives input from sensory organs, the motor cortex (MC)
that issues commands to motor organs, and association cortex
(AC) that combines inputs from different sensory organs and
controls prediction, inference, and problem-solving. The main
components for distributed intelligence are as follows;
• The sensory cortex (SC) corresponds to a functional
element that primarily processes sensing data input
from sensor devices existing in an actual external
environment.
• The motor cortex (MC) corresponds to a kind of
problem-solving engine that derives the necessary
actions with the sensing data through pattern matching.
• The basal ganglia (BG) set the priorities by analyzing
the action lists presented by the motor cortex. Herein,
the basal ganglia select an optimal alternative to return
back to the motor cortex which sends the selected
action as a command to an execution device in the
outer world.
• The amygdala (AD) performs positive/negative
evaluations for each action from the basal ganglia by
using pre-stored information with the help of
hippocampus. It may act as a kind of reward system.
In addition, the amygdala receives reports for results
of the action executed in the real world from the
sensory cortex, performs the evaluation thereon, and
reflects it to the affective memory. A kind of
reinforcement learning is done through those
procedures.
• The hippocampus (HC) stores the episodic information
and meta-information related to reward/punishment as
the evaluation results by the amygdala.
When there are no alternatives to an action beyond the
threshold in the basal ganglia, that is regarded as confronting
a problem that cannot be solved by existing problem-solving
methods or new complex situations that have not been
experienced in the past occur. Then it is possible to try
problem-solving using a “conscious thinking” method based
on global workspace theory through the association cortex.
 The functional elements presented in figure 3 are
virtualization applications of a hyper-connected network
infrastructure, and may be implemented, for example, in the
form of a virtual machine (VM), a Linux container, or a
unikernel.
In addition, functional elements that are virtualization
applications may be mapped to physical devices in various
forms. For example, each functional element may be
implemented as an independent physical device, as well as
multiple sensory cortices and motor cortices may exist in one
device as a cluster formation, and the remaining elements may
exist one by one. Also, it is possible to create and destroy
functional elements on demand.
B. Global workspace model for flexible intelligence
Global workspace is a virtual space composed of
association cortices in multiple distributed intelligence nodes.
In order to solve new complex problems that have not been
experienced before, the association cortices in the global
workspace cooperate and compete. So each association cortex
is an intelligent agent in multi-agent system(MAS)
environment. Figure 4 shows global workspace model which
consists of various association cortices.
Fig. 4. Global workspace model with distributed intelligence nodes
In order to realize global workspace model, following
implementation options may be considered;
• The mutual cooperation and competition in the global
workspace may be implemented on an existing
standard for agent communication language (ACL),
for example, foundation for intelligent physical agents
(FIPA)-ACL, or knowledge query and manipulation
language (KQML).
• The global workspace (GW) may be realized in a
pub/sub mechanism that has a relay broker or connects
all association cortices (AC) in a P2P way.
• The association cortex_sensory (ACs) and association
cortex_motor (ACm) that constructs the global
workspace are functional elements of distributed
intelligence nodes, but may also be implemented by
separating these functions from the nodes in a specific
region and gathering the same in one physical node. In
this case, the global workspace becomes a single
physical node, and the association cortex_sensory and
association cortex_motor in the node act as agents
representing each distributed intelligence node. In this
situation, it is possible to use a blackboard technique,
which is a method for distributed AI.
The global workspace may be organized in a hierarchical
structure. It may be created in each local region, and a more
global scale workspace is created in an upper layer thereof.
IV. INTEGRATED THINKING ON DISTRIBUTED
INTELLIGENCE
A. Local automatic thinking
Figure 5 shows the processing and interaction in each
functional element for “local automatic thinking” at the
distributed intelligence node. The motor cortex, a problem
solver, generates solution alternatives for a sensed situation
from sensory cortex. The implementation of motor cortex is
possible by several different techniques. For example, AI
techniques such as complex event processing (CEP), artificial
neural network (ANN), and case-based reasoning (CBR) may
create different solutions from each other.
When the action alternatives are transferred to basal
ganglia to select optimal one, the basal ganglia requests
amygdala evaluation of alternatives in order to set the
priorities. The amygdala calculates reward point for each
alternative with the help of hippocampus, and returns the
results backs to basal ganglia.
Then basal ganglia sets the saliency for each alternative
and determines the priority by combining reward evaluation
of amygdala and its own policy. The action with highest
priority is delivered to motor cortex as the optimal solution for
current situation, and transformed into the actuating command
to actuator in the end.
When there are no alternatives generated by motor cortex,
in which saliency among the actions is beyond the threshold,
the problem-solving mode is changed to a “global conscious
thinking”.
The functional elements and intelligence processing
methods used for local automatic thinking act as specialists in
a specific domain. The flows may be shared because global
conscious thinking must collectively use the problem-solving
ability of these specialists. Sub procedures I and II in the
diagram are flows commonly used in global conscious
thinking.
Fig. 5. Local automatic thinking

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B. Global conscious thinking
Figure 6 shows the procedure when a distributed
intelligence node acts as a requester for global conscious
thinking, while figure 7 illustrates it as a proposer of a solution.
An upper flow on the figure 6 shows a step that requests
problem solving, and a lower diagram shows a flow that
determines the end of the problem solving. When the basal
ganglia are confronted with no action alternatives beyond the
threshold, it request association cortex_motor (ACm) global
conscious thinking. Then ACm makes a problem specification
and distributes it to global workspace.
If there is any proposal for current problem specification
on global workspace, the state of its problem solving is
changed. When association cortex_sensory (ACs) perceives
this change, it request motor cortex local automatic thinking
to evaluate action proposal. This triggers sub procedure 1 of
automatic thinking in Figure 5.
If the result of sub procedure 1 gets the action alternative
beyond threshold, global conscious thinking is completed and
local automatic thinking continues the rest of procedure. So
the final decision on whether or not to complete the global
problem solving is made by the requestor for problem solving.
Fig. 6. Global conscious thinking at problem solving requestor
Figure 7 illustrates to procedure diagrams in which a
distributed intelligence node acts as a solution proposer of
global conscious thinking in response to the problem-solving
requestor of figure 6. When association cortex_sensory (ACs)
perceives request of proposal on global workspace, it request
motor cortex local automatic thinking to generate action
proposal. Then it may make a proposal in which action
solution beyond the threshold value.
Fig. 7. Global conscious thinking at solution proposer
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Any distributed intelligence node can propose a problem-
solving action for each state transition of the global workspace
using its local automatic thinking. A series of request and
proposal on the global workspace solves the problem by
forward reasoning.
When the competition situation caused by multiple
proposals occurs, the global workspace applies conflict
resolution policy to select optimal one. The conflict resolution
policy is adapted to association cortex_sensory in the form of
a plug-in, thereby providing flexibility.
V. CONCLUSIONS
We propose a distributed intelligence model mimicking
cognitive functions of a human brain, which integrated the
local automatic thinking and the global conscious thinking for
a large-scale and hyper-connected IoT environment. In those
situations the existing monolithic and silo model is hard to
solve the problem when an unseen complex situation occurs.
Our approach can support dynamic decision-making by
collective intelligence and thus provide opportunities for new
knowledge sharing and crowdsourcing, as if human experts
construct a task force to solve the hard problems.
Brain-inspired distributed intelligence may be integrated
into the data-centric network architecture as upper layer
functional components in the future. Advanced smart city and
connected vehicle are potential application domains to
validate our model.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This work was supported by the ICT R&D program of
MSICT/IITP. [2017-0-00045, Hyper-connected Intelligent
Infrastructure Technology Development].
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