On a roadmap for the BICA Challenge

The BICA Challenge is the challenge to create a general-purpose, real-life computational equivalent of the human mind using an approach based on biologically inspired cognitive architectures (BICA). To solve it, we need to understand at a computational level how natural intelligent systems develop their cognitive, metacognitive and learning functions. The solution is expected to lead us to a breakthrough to intelligent agents integrated into the human society as its members. This outcome has the potential to solve many problems of the modern world. The article starts from the roadmap proposed by Dr. James Albus for a national program unifying artificial intelligence, neuroscience and cognitive science. The BICA Challenge is introduced in this context as a waypoint on the expanded roadmap. The gap between the state of the art and challenge demands is analyzed. Specific problems and barriers are identified, an approach to overcoming them is proposed, and an ultimate practical criterion for success is formulated. It is estimated that the BICA Challenge can be solved within a decade.