A Framework for the Examination of Awareness in Artificial Systems

Lee, S., Meertens, N., Milner, E., Hauert, S. (2026). A Framework for the Examination of Awareness in Artificial Systems. In Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems. Living Machines 2025. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 15582. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-07448-5_27

Abstract: Measuring awareness in artificial agents remains an unresolved challenge. We argue that it holds untapped potential for enhancing their design, control, and effectiveness. In this paper, we propose a novel and tractable approach to measure the impact of awareness on system performance, structured around distinct dimensions of awareness – temporal, spatial, metacognitive, self and agentive. Each dimension is linked to specific capacities and tasks. Specifically, we demonstrate our approach through a swarm robotics intralogistics scenario, where we assess the influence of two dimensions of awareness – spatial and self – on the performance of the swarm in a collective transport task. Our results reveal how increased abilities along these awareness dimensions affect overall swarm efficiency. This framework represents an initial step towards quantifying awareness in, and across, artificial systems.