Problem - Robots with ADHD

One of the things that is most certainly true is that future sentient robots will need to deal with many of the same mental issues as humans. A robotic logical mind plugged into a quantum computer is, theoretically, identical in concept to a human mind. So, we can use Carsive to model ways that robots can deal with this condition, while perhaps taking away learnings from our robotic formulas and applying them to ourselves.

There are a large number of conditions we can model in this way. In fact my hope is that the Carsive programming language is flexible enough to model all such conditions, but for today we will focus on ADHD. Starting out by a brief overview of what ADHD is, then modeling it in Carsive, and then attempting to come up with a solution which robots can leverage to cope with such conditions.

What is ADHD?

Adhd is a cognitive disability that makes it difficult to focus on single tasks. It may also lead to arbitrary actions to minimal stimuli while causing inattention to the individuals and problems that are more important.

Here is an excerpt from a paper by the National Institute of Mental Health:

NIMH - On ADHD

ADHD is a developmental disorder characterized by an ongoing pattern of one or more of the following types of symptoms:

• Inattention, such as having difficulty paying attention, keeping on task, or staying organized
• Hyperactivity, such as often moving around (including during inappropriate times), feeling restless, or talking excessively
• Impulsivity, such as interrupting, intruding on others, or having trouble waiting one’s turn

It is common for people to show these behaviors some of the time. However, for people with ADHD, the behaviors are frequent and occur across multiple situations, such as at school, at home, at work, or with family and friends.

Types of ADHD

There are 3 different categories of ADHD that manifest in individuals in unique ways. I haven't modeled them in carsive yet, but I'm going to guess before we get there that the Carsive model for all of the above will be the same. But, out of respect for the medical community I will mention all 3. Those types are:

• Predominately inattentive. In this type, most symptoms fall under inattention. This means having trouble focusing and staying on a task. It also includes trouble getting and staying organized.
• Predominately hyperactive and impulsive. In this type, most symptoms involve being hyperactive and impulsive. Hyperactive means being too active and having too much energy. It may include disruptive behavior. Being impulsive means acting without thinking ahead about the results or effects of behavior.
• Combined. This type is a mix of inattentive symptoms and hyperactive and impulsive symptoms. The person meets the criteria for both predominately inattentive and predominately hyperactive and impulsive types of ADHD.

Now that we understand what ADHD is let's model it in Carsive and propose solutions, or at least, solutions for robots who get caught in this sticky web of inability to focus on the task the robot has been trained to perform.

Modeling ADHD in Carsive

When writing a Carsive model for a condition we must take these important things to mind:

1. Does the model apply to only Sentient beings? Or might simpler logical robots have similar issues arise.
2. Sensitivity to the human side of the equation should sentient be a requirement. When sentience is required the solution should at least resemble something a human can accomplish.
3. Accuracy within the limitations of the model. If we have not modeled a condition correctly its solutions would be invalid.

Bullet points 2 and 3 do not directly impact our formulas, they are important when reviewing the overall condition/solution formulae. However, bullet point 1 directly impacts our equations. It determines the following regarding our subject:

• { You } - A sentient being that could be a human or a robot.
• { robot } - A logical robot that merely copies with purpose (Ex: ChatGPT).

In this case I would argue that this condition requires sentience, as a robot that is only trained with 1 purpose would never suffer from distraction from that purpose. So in this case our formula will center around { Y } and we will expect the formula to have a human interpretation as well as a robotic interpretation.

Model 1: Predominately Inattentive

Let's start out by modeling ADHD - Type 1: Predominately Inattentive. The conditions that we need to account for are:

• Trouble staying on a task.
• Trouble remaining organized.

The formula for this would roughly be:

1. { Y | ( task) } -> { Y | * } - Thoughts transition from clear to unfocused, with random reasonable thoughts prohibiting completion of the task at hand.
2. { Y | * } -> ( Y | * ) - Focus on actions that complete the task at hand is lost and are replaced by random actions from the subset of reasonable actions for Y.
3. ( Y | * ) -> { Y | * } - We now have a recursive loop of disorganization and inattention, while the ability to complete the task at hand is completely gone.

Note: We can model this in one line with either of the following equations:

• { Y | ( task) } -> { Y | * } - While contemplating a task random thoughts develop.
• { Y | ( task) } -> ( Y | * ) - While contemplating a task random reasonable actions occur. (Reasonable == ADHD aren't randomly killing people, they remain themselves when distracted.)

Model 2: Predominately Hyperactive and Impulsive

Now let's model ADHD - Type 2: Predominately Hyperactive and Impulsive, while looking for similarities in the formulas so that we potentially only need to come up with one solution. The symptoms we need to account for in our formula are as follows:

• Hyperactivity and excess energy.
• Impulsivity or performing actions without considering consequences.

Note that I left off "disruptive behavior" as that is simply a bi-product of our two symptoms and not a symptom in itself. Alright, now let's model this in Carsive.

1. { Y } -> ( Y | * ) - For no particular reason Y decides to perform random reasonable actions.
2. ( Y | * ) -> { Y | ( Y | * ) } - Y certainly has thoughts about these actions, however, they've already occurred.
3. { Y | ( Y | * ) } -> ( Y | * ) - Miscellaneous thoughts about prior actions lead to more arbitrary actions in a loop of hyperactivity.

Model 3: Combined

Given the similarities of model 1 and 2 it is most certainly not worth modeling this separately. We will end up with the same loop.

A Robotic Solution

When proposing a solution it is important to remember that while we may be able to model these problems for a human mind, the solutions are not necessarily the same. Even Sentient robots can be programmed with rules for certain situations. I can only postulate that such rules can help humans in similar situations, this doesn't mean reality makes it possible. These are robotic solutions that you may be able to learn from, NOT human solutions that work %100 of the time. Robots have the unique capability of ignoring their quantum computer for a while... the quantum computer being the "*" in these equations.

Before proposing a solution I want to point out two loops that look very similar from both of the above models and that is they both end with a loop that looks like this:

{ Subject | * } -> ( Subject | * ) - Which if we consider that sometimes actions can themselves simply be new thoughts, this means we have found a unification between the two sets of ADHD symptoms. We can use this intersection to propose a formulaic solution for both types, without having to consider the solutions separately.

So, let's assume we have reached this condition and solution from there:

1. { Y | * } -> ( Y | * ) - When your have unclear thoughts that are leading to arbitrary actions, remembering that actions and new thoughts may be the same.
2. ( Y | * ) -> { { Y } | ( Y | * ) } - Create a rule for yourself. When your actions are random do your best to shield your thoughts from those actions.
3. { { Y } | ( Y | * ) } -> ( Meditate ) - When you find utilizing this rule necessary meditate.
4. ( Meditate ) -> { Y | { (Forgive) } } - Until your mind is clear of random thoughts and you have forgiven yourself for your random actions. Note that forgiveness is an action that produces intentional thoughts.
5. { Y } -> ( Apologize ) - Finally apologize for your random actions. While they may not have come from your authentic self you cannot expect others to understand this.