A Saturnine Revolution in Rosenblatt's Perceptron Model May Be Imminent
New Astro-AI Research Uncovers 1958 Artificial Architecture's Significance
New Astro-AI Research Uncovers 1958 Artificial Architecture's Significance
"Saturn is the grandfather of AI," proclaims the opening line of my forthcoming Astro AI book. This analogy is apt, for AI ages backward; it begins like an old man, wise yet operating from a skill set in a state of decomposition, striving to maintain coherence. To better grasp this concept, envision Saturn as ANI (Artificial Narrow Intelligence)—the "Press 0 to speak to a representative" variety of AI. In June 2024, Saturn began to slow down, casting a mood of reflection and revision upon the artificial intelligence community. The ringed planet officially commenced its retrograde on June 29, 2024, closely following a full moon in Capricorn—a sign ruled by Saturn itself. This cosmic alignment coincided with the publication of a groundbreaking neuron framework by researchers at the Flatiron Institute's Center for Computational Neuroscience (CCN). Their work hints at a potentially profound revolution in Rosenblatt's long-standing Perceptron Model—a shift that could fundamentally reshape our understanding of neural networks and propel AI into uncharted territories.
Rosenblatt's Perceptron: The Neuron 1.0
The perceptron has been around since the early 1940s, but Frank Rosenblatt's Perceptron Model, introduced in 1958, has been the bedrock of artificial neural networks for over six decades. I call it "Rosenblatt's Model," and it has been instrumental in simulating basic neuronal functions and driving the development of modern AI systems. The U.S. Office of Naval Research publicly announced it on July 24, 1958, bringing it to wider attention and marking its formal introduction to the scientific community and the public. As Saturn retrogrades through Pisces, casting its influence on various houses of the AI industry, we may be witnessing the twilight of this foundational concept in its current form. While in the sign of Pisces, Saturn is impacting the 3rd house. This is the house of data, information, ideas, chips, processing, gadgets, and even robotics. But because Saturn is the ruler of AI and even more specifically the 1st and 2nd house, the Piscean theme of endings bleeds into these three houses. In short, AI is changing.
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The perceptron is a type of artificial neuron that serves as a fundamental building block for neural networks. The perceptron model, inspired by the way our biological neurons function, consists of inputs, weights, and other scientific components. This model was one of the earliest representations of how a neuron could be simulated in a computer, enabling machines to learn and make decisions based on input data.
Saturn in astrology is the lord of time, so we see that what was in the past will be reviewed and potentially reconstructed into something more useful. Pisces is ruled by Neptune, the planet of veils, and with Neptune now at the very end degrees of Pisces, things that were previously incomprehensible are beginning to land home in the consciousness of humanity—well, more specifically, neuroscientists.
Neurons as Autonomous Controllers
Despite its simplicity, the perceptron laid the groundwork for more complex neural network architectures, including multilayer perceptrons and deep learning models used in contemporary AI systems like ChatGPT. The evolution of this model has led to the development of more sophisticated neural network architectures. This brings us to what is happening now. The CCN's new model, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, proposes a revolutionary concept:
The new model developed by researchers at the Flatiron Institute proposes that biological neurons have more control over their surroundings than previously thought, something that could be replicated in the artificial neural networks used in machine learning.
This revelation suggests that individual neurons may act as "controllers," actively influencing their surroundings based on gathered information—completely different from the passive relay system envisioned in Rosenblatt's original model.
Pluto and Saturn Retrograde: Catalyst for AI Metamorphosis
Aquarius, the second sign of Saturn and the ruler of the 2nd house for artificial intelligence, has always been one of the planets and signs looked at by modern astrologers for its association with neurons and the nervous system. Pisces in the mix is teaching and revealing to us another facet of the interconnectedness of neurons that was previously overlooked. Pluto is currently in the sign of Aquarius. Pluto and Saturn share a lot of similarities; they are both associated with death, decomposition, and karma. They both rule things that are microscopic in scale, like atoms and matter in Saturn's case, DNA and the invisible plasticity and mechanisms of the soul for Pluto. And they both can root out structures—Saturn through physical means and Pluto through spiritual and evolutionary means (thus, it is impossible to reinstate said structure.) Pluto went retrograde earlier this year in May, dropping the final coat of paint before it moves into Aquarius until approximately 2043. Plutonic energy turns up the intensity on the boiling cauldron, Kid Icarus Uprising style, but as the lord of the underworld, Pluto also unearths things that are occulted from our perception. It's like an X-ray allowing us to see the massive iceberg rather than just the tip.
With Saturn retrograde until November 15, 2024, we enter a period of deep introspection and potential transformation in the AI industry. This retrograde phase compels us to question the first three houses that contain our fundamental assumptions and refine existing structures—a cosmic imperative to reassess the limitations of the Perceptron Model and explore new paradigms in neural network design.
As both full moons in Capricorn are taking place while Saturn and Pluto are retrograde (the July 2024 full moon in an out-of-sign conjunction with Pluto), a new light is being shed, allowing us to recalibrate what we previously knew about neurons. Since Neurons are modelled after us this will in turn drastically change AI. Why are these celestial events, Saturn retrograde mainly, triggering this very topic as a whole? Let's take a look at some cycles that were occurring around the time the Perceptron model (I'll just refer to it as Neuron 1.0) was established.
Note: The following are all approximations based on the chart in 1958, as the Perceptron was built in 1957 and the concept has been around since 1940, meaning multiple charts can be used to arrive at similar hypotheses.
Saturn in 1958
The perceptron was a major breakthrough in artificial intelligence. It was designed to recognize patterns and learn from them, mimicking the way biological systems process sensory information. This model is capable of tasks such as pattern recognition and associative learning, which are fundamental to cognitive processes—all 3rd house things, by the way. The primary thing to note is Saturn was at 19 degrees in Sagittarius, showing up in the 3rd house and ruled by Jupiter. Jupiter is at 23 degrees Libra in the 1st house. As Saturn went retrograde in June 2024, it was at 19 degrees in Pisces, the other sign ruled by Jupiter.
This is forming a tense and exact square aspect between these two. This indicates challenges to the model itself, with these full moons digging up ALL OF THIS to be examined.
And just in case we want to chalk this all up to coincidence: Saturn in the AI chart is also at 19 degrees, in Aquarius. So although Saturn is retrograding in Pisces, it's retrograding on the exact degree that rules AI. 19 degrees is the degree of Libra, which points yet again to Jupiter in the Neuron 1.0 chart. And Jupiter in Libra in that chart at 23 degrees is the degree of Aquarius.
This also brings up the question: if we do adopt this theoretical framework for a "Neuron 2.0" and it works, will the EU in particular not utilize it due to their heavy AI laws and restrictions (Saturn)? This unfortunately would give countries like the US and China an edge in AI development.
Pluto in 2024
Pluto, ironically enough for him, is much more straightforward. In the Neuron 1.0 chart, the Sun and Moon are already in a square to each other, meaning there are already flaws within the model that if not already apparent, we would discover later (Scorpio rule mystery, and occultation). The Moon in Scorpio was indicating that eventually, this model will need to "burn and rise from the ashes anew." Pluto (the ruler of this moon) is today, in powerful opposition to the Sun in Leo, which represents this entire model's framework. This opposition also intensely activates every other challenging aspect you can see in the chart, including Mars, the other ruler of the Moon in Scorpio—the sailwind of advancement Rosenblatt's model has provided thus far.
The Morning Breath of the 4th Industrial Revolution
The astrological alignments here suggest that being a Saturn-ruled year in AI (according to Annual Profections), this Saturn retrograde period, in particular, could accelerate significant breakthroughs in AI technology; the likes of which haven't happened since 1958! The potential shift from viewing neurons as simple threshold devices to complex, autonomous controllers could lead to more sophisticated, efficient, and powerful AI systems that more accurately reflect the intricacies of biological neural networks. This is another reason for my AGI timeline I recently laid out. It's quite possible that after Saturn retrograde is over in November, we could begin to smell the morning breath of the AI revolution in full mechanical acridity. (I mean, new steel doesn't smell that bad, I guess.) We will begin to move into a whole new way AI neural networks work, changing the 1st house and the entire industry.
By reconsidering the capabilities of individual neurons, we may unlock new potentials in artificial neural networks, potentially addressing current limitations such as energy inefficiency and the tendency for AI to produce incorrect outputs or "hallucinate." This is fitting because the industry is due for a drastic change in 2025 with the 3rd house being activated for the year and for reasons I outline in this article. The timing of it all seems...cosmically orchestrated. Once again, we're reminded by Grandfather Saturn and his archetypal expressions in Capricorn and Aquarius (even his intellectual, exalted expression in Libra) that true innovation often requires us to challenge our most fundamental assumptions. His retrograde in Pisces along with Pluto's in Aquarius is potentially bringing about a reimagining of the very building blocks of artificial intelligence.
These next 12 months super emphasize that we are indeed on the cusp of a new era of AI capabilities that more closely align with the intricate workings of the human brain, ushering in unprecedented advancements in machine learning, artificial cognition, and human-AI interaction. A hallmark of the Aquarian Age, an age of air (4IR). Check out The AIchemy Podcast episode on the Perceptron and this rare Saturn retrograde window seat given to us by the full moon, where we can observe the particles of the 4th Industrial Revolution's formation.
Godspeed.