Storia

2020 – Origini

The history of the Institute begins in a co-founder team meeting in 2020 around a common interest in Active Inference. This produced a productive collaboration and the publication "Active Inference & Behavior Engineering for Teams" in September 2020 (Vyatkin et al. 2020); the group was then known as "Team Comm," and its first livestream — ActInf Livestream #001.1, "Narrative as active inference" — aired on July 28, 2020.

Following the 2020 publication, discussions turned to approaches that could catalyze the accessibility, rigor, and applicability of Active Inference, and to merging the developing framework with the Systems Approach and open source. From these discussions an "Active Inference Lab" (ActInfLab) was formed and began operations in 2021.

2021 – Primo anno di attività

Nel corso del primo anno, decine di persone provenienti da tutto il mondo hanno interagito con ActInfLab attraverso progetti quali la produzione educativa, la pubblicazione open-source, le arti collaborative, i gruppi di apprendimento mirati, la rivista Active Inference e lo sviluppo iniziale dell'ontologia Active Inference. Fin dalla prima fase operativa, ActInfLab ha ospitato trasmissioni in diretta dei tavoli rotondi trimestrali per comunicare le aspettative e i risultati del trimestre alla comunità — una tradizione che continua tuttora.

2022 – Diventare l’Istituto

A cohort-based Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) was established to connect ActInfLab to cutting-edge theoretical work and domain-specific applications, and the Lab emerged as a key facilitating organization in what was then a primarily academic community. The first Active Inference textbook appeared in 2022 (Parr, Pezzulo, Friston 2022), and the Institute began hosting a Textbook Group — an important ecosystem service, since few institutional venues support learners through the textbook curriculum and beyond.

The Internship program began, scaffolding learners from high school, college, and graduate tracks as well as professionals outside academia through personalized curricula lasting months to years. In mid-2022, ActInfLab made the developmental leap to become The Active Inference Institute, a nonprofit registered in Delaware, USA, and laid out its Organizational Units — Administrative, EduActive (Education), and ReInference (Research).

At the end of 2022, the Board of Directors held its first meeting; the Board continues to meet quarterly.

2023 – Corsi e media

Institute Projects and Programs continued, including the first two full course offerings: a Physics course and a Social Science course. These span months and include office hours with the lecturer and teaching assistants.

In addition to continuing livestream production on YouTube (GuestStream, ModelStream, PaperStream, and others), the Institute hosted the Active Inference Insights podcast. During the year, the Institute began researching and applying for private and government grants.

2024 – Istituti 501(c)(3), Borseggiatori e Tutoraggio

The Institute received official recognition as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit — supporting its philanthropy efforts — achieved with the pro bono support of the Fried Frank law firm. The largest cohort to date of the Scientific Advisory Board made diverse contributions across projects.

The Fellows program began to highlight and scaffold the work of ecosystem members who have contributed substantially through publications and presentations, with five Research Fellows joined as of late 2024. To meet trainees' and interns' need for one-on-one guidance, the Institute introduced the Mentorship program, with SAB members and select others volunteering to mentor individual trainees.

Following the Quantum Active Inference Prepare-Measure cycle described by Chris Fields in the 2023 Physics course, the Institute implemented a "Prepare and Measure" system for Institute and Ecosystem Projects: Preparation describes what someone is preparing to do, and Measurement reports back when goals are reached. These always-open reporting systems gauge ongoing work and provide visibility through the newsletter.

Work during the year remained all-volunteer, with philanthropy support beginning to cover some operational software costs and several grant applications submitted. The 4th Applied Active Inference Symposium was held on November 13, 2024.

2025

I punti salienti del 2025 includono il 5° Simposio sull’Inferenza Attiva Applicata e l’AICACP che è diventato il primo finanziamento approvato per l’Istituto. Consulta l'anteprima annuale 2025 per i dettagli completi dell'anno.

2026

Guarda l'anteprima annuale del 2026 per tutte le informazioni sull'anno in corso.