Untapped Potential in Self-Optimization of Hopfield Networks: The Creativity of Unsupervised Learning

Abstract: The Self-Optimization (SO) model can be considered as the third operational mode of the classical Hopfield Network, leveraging the power of associative memory to enhance optimization performance. Moreover, it has been argued to express characteristics of minimal agency, which renders it useful for the study of artificial life. In this article, we draw attention to another facet of the SO model: its capacity for creativity. Drawing on creativity studies, we argue that the model satisfies the necessary and sufficient conditions of a creative process. Moreover, we show that learning is needed to find creative outcomes above chance probability. Furthermore, we demonstrate that modifying the learning parameters in the SO model gives rise to four different regimes that can account for both creative products and inconclusive outcomes, thus providing a framework for studying and understanding the emergence of creative behaviors in artificial systems that learn.