Fundamentals of Active Inference

A comprehensive, up-to-date introduction to active inference and the free energy principle for an engineering-focused audience.

Active inference, which uses machine learning to model brain function and behavior, emerged from decades of cross-disciplinary research in computational neuroscience, resulting in a vast literature but no unifying treatment. Filling this gap, Sanjeev Namjoshi provides comprehensive coverage of the foundational material needed to understand and navigate this fast-moving field from first principles. Using a simple, conversational style free of proofs, lemmas, and theorems, Namjoshi brings together theory and technical material in one self-contained text. The book begins with an explanation of the general statistical framework used in active inference models that describes the relationship between artificial agents and their environments. It then introduces fundamental concepts in machine learning and statistics and connects them to the active inference perspective. Featuring worked examples, simulations, and detailed walkthroughs of concepts, this user-friendly text aims to expand the readership of active inference to an engineering-focused audience. 

• Provides a one-stop-shop for understanding the foundations and applications of active inference and the free energy principle
• Makes a complex, interdisciplinary subject accessible to students and professionals beyond the neurosciences
• Covers discrete and continuous state-space formulations of active inference as well as state-of-the-art extensions to base active inference methods
• Features extensive appendices and supplemental resources