Fast, slow, and metacognitive thinking in AI

Journal article

Inspired by the ”thinking fast and slow” cognitive theory of human decision making, we propose a multi-agent cognitive architecture (SOFAI) that is based on ”fast”/”slow” solvers and a metacognitive module. We then present experimental results on the behavior of an instance of this architecture for AI systems that make decisions about navigating in a constrained environment. We show that combining the two decision modalities through a separate metacognitive function allows for higher decision quality with less resource consumption compared to employing only one of the two modalities. Analyzing how the system achieves this, we also provide evidence for the emergence of several human-like behaviors, including skill learning, adaptability, and cognitive control.

Authors: Bergamaschi Ganapini, M; Campbell, M; Fabiano, F; Horesh, L; Lenchner, J

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Nature Research
• Journal: npj Artificial Intelligence
• Volume: 1
• Issue: 1
• Article number: 27
• Publication date: 2025-10-01
• Acceptance date: 2025-07-28
• DOI: 10.1038/s44387-025-00027-5
• EISSN: 3005-1460
• Language: English