Obituary: Margaret Boden, AI & Cognitive Science Pioneer

Margaret Boden, a pioneering figure in cognitive science and artificial intelligence (AI), has died at the age of 88. A profound thinker who explored the philosophy of psychology and AI, Boden was instrumental in establishing the School of Cognitive Sciences at the University of Sussex, fostering an interdisciplinary environment that shaped the careers of numerous leading AI researchers.

Central to Boden’s extensive body of work was the investigation of mental phenomena such as perception, thought, consciousness, and creativity. She sought to understand how these complex processes emerge from fundamental mechanistic interactions, whether they be biochemical reactions within the brain or digital computations within a computer. Her insights were captured across 15 books she authored, one she co-authored, and several essay collections she co-edited, with her works translated into 20 languages.

Boden’s academic journey began after graduating from Newnham College, Cambridge, in 1958 with a prize-winning first-class degree in medical sciences. It was at Cambridge that her lifelong fascination with the mind and brain was ignited. She started her academic career in 1959 as a philosophy lecturer at the University of Birmingham, followed by a period as a Harkness fellow at Harvard from 1962 to 1964. In 1965, she joined the University of Sussex as a lecturer in philosophy and psychology, becoming a full professor in 1980, a position she held until 2002 when she was appointed Research Professor of Cognitive Science, a title she retained for the remainder of her life.

Her first book, Purposive Explanation in Psychology (1972), expanded upon her 1968 Harvard PhD thesis. In it, Boden introduced the groundbreaking idea that AI programs could serve as a form of theoretical psychology. This approach allowed for the rigorous study of mental processes in abstract, non-living systems, with the ultimate goal of uncovering principles applicable to understanding mental processing in living beings.

Boden’s reputation as an authority on AI was cemented by Artificial Intelligence and Natural Man (1977). This 537-page volume offered a comprehensive and accessible review and analysis of AI research up to the mid-1970s. Often cited as one of the world’s first books on AI, it explored the utility of various AI systems in advancing our understanding of human psychology, delved into the philosophical questions raised by AI’s progress, and contemplated the potential societal impact of AI technologies across fields like education, law, healthcare, and creative endeavors such as music composition and poetry – topics that remain highly relevant today.

The intricate subject of creativity, in both living and artificial systems, was a recurring theme throughout Boden’s career. She continuously expanded her surveys and critical analyses in subsequent books, including works published in 1990, 1994, and 2010, culminating in From Fingers to Digits: An Artificial Aesthetic (2019), co-authored with digital artist Ernest Edmonds. Her extensive bibliography also includes a concise summary of the work of Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget (1979), several books on AI as theoretical psychology and computer models of the mind, The Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence (1990), and her edited collection The Philosophy of Artificial Life (1996). Her monumental two-volume set, Mind As Machine: A History of Cognitive Science (2006), spanning nearly 1,700 pages, offered her unique, singular perspective on the entirety of cognitive science.

At the University of Sussex, Boden, alongside philosopher Aaron Sloman and computer vision researcher Max Clowes, launched the Cognitive Studies Programme (CSP) in 1974. This radically innovative initiative sought to unite psychologists, linguists, philosophers, and AI researchers in a collective “study of mind.” The CSP attracted academics eager to explore interdisciplinary questions at the frontiers of their fields. By the mid-1980s, the CSP was recognized as one of the two leading centers for AI research in the UK. Its growth led to its transformation in 1987 into the autonomous School of Cognitive Sciences, with Boden serving as its founding dean. She was resolute that the new school would uphold the CSP’s traditions of an inclusive and collaborative community of interdisciplinary scholars. The school later absorbed the Computer Science Department, becoming the School of Cognitive and Computing Sciences, and in 2003, it was reorganized into the Sussex Centre for Cognitive Science, its current form, comprising over 50 academics from across the university’s faculties.

Boden’s significant contributions were widely recognized. She was elected a fellow of the British Academy in 1983, serving as its vice-president from 1989 to 1991. In 1993, she became a fellow of the American Association for AI. She was appointed OBE in 2001 and received the prestigious ACM AAAI Allen Newell Award in 2017. Both the University of Cambridge’s Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence and the University of Sussex have established annual lectures in her honor.

Beyond her academic achievements, Boden was known for her vibrant personality. Colleagues and friends remembered her as brilliant, fearless, iconoclastic, warm, and humorous, possessing an insatiable appetite for conversation and intellectual debate. She was almost always seen dressed in purple, adorned with distinctive jewelry – a color that also prominently featured in the official materials of the School of Cognitive Sciences. She cultivated a deep and enduring affection for the Cook Islands, spending six weeks there annually for nearly three decades, cherishing the drumming and dancing, and becoming an accomplished scholar of Polynesia. Her supportive and inspiring mentorship was a cornerstone of her professional legacy, providing “the launchpad, the rocket and the fuel” for many nascent academic careers.

Margaret Boden was married to the writer and publisher John Spiers from 1967 until their divorce in 1981. She is survived by her son, Ruskin, her daughter, Jehane, and her four grandchildren, Byron, Oscar, Lukas, and Alina.