The challenges of lifelong learning in biological and artificial systems

Sashank Pisupati, Yael Niv

Abstract: How do biological systems learn continuously throughout their lifespans, adapting to change while retaining old knowledge, and how can these principles be applied to artificial learning systems? In this Forum article we outline challenges and strategies of ‘lifelong learning’ in biological and artificial systems, and argue that a collaborative study of each system’s failure modes can benefit both.