RESEARCH ARTICLE Introducing a creative process on a cognitive architecture Agnese Augello, Ignazio Infantino, Giovanni Pilato, Riccardo Rizzo, Filippo Vella * ICAR-CNR, Viale delle Scienze, edif. 11, 90128 Palermo (PA), Italy Received 12 April 2013; received in revised form 30 May 2013; accepted 30 May 2013 KEYWORDS Computer graphics; Picture/image generation Abstract In this paper we present a system that implements a creative behavior on a cognitive architec- ture. It is aimed at creating digital art images from snapshots of a human subject, simulating a simple creative process. Such a process starts from a Training Phase that creates a set of image filter sequences. This phase is oriented to approximate some painting styles obtained from famous images and portraits of the past. The learned filter sequences are then used during the Production Phase. During this subsequent phase, the ‘‘artificial artist’’ interacts with the subject trying to ‘‘catch’’ the human emotions that drive the creation of the portrait. The art- ist processes feedbacks from the user according to the cognitive model Psi and its implemen- tation of the motivations. These motivations influence further modifications of the applied filter sequences achieving an evolution of the artificial artist. ª 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The aim of this work is to combine an approach based on cognitive architectures (Goertzel et al., 2010; Langley et al., 2009) with some mechanisms of computational crea- tivity (Boden, 2009; Colton et al., 2009). The main purpose therefore is not to propose a theoretical model, but to have an implementation model that could be exploited as a testbed and which may, however, be extended, modified, and improved. The proposed model is designed to be implemented on a humanoid Nao platform. 1 Given the proposed models of creativity in the literature, we have identified some features that are likely to produce a digital painter using a robot, that is able to develop his artificial vi- sual perception, and originating a creative act based on its experience and expertise, also through interaction with the human (both in the stage of learning that final evaluation). The first phase of the research project aims at developing a cognitive software infrastructure that provides creative skills mainly from visual perception. In a second phase, we plan to introduce the physicalness of the humanoid adding 2212-683X/$ - see front matter ª 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bica.2013.05.011 * Corresponding author. E-mail address: filippo.vella@pa.icar.cnr.it (F. Vella). 1 http://www.aldebaran-robotics.com. Biologically Inspired Cognitive Architectures (2013) 6, 131– 139 Available at www.sciencedirect.com journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/bica