Teaching Logic to Chatbots

Abstract: Recently, Large Language Models (LLM) have shown the cruciality of natural language in learning and developing complex artificial intelligent behaviors. The seminar presents an agile method of logical semantics based on high-order Monadic Predicate Logic (HML). An operator of predicate abstraction is introduced that provides a simple mechanism for logical aggregation of predicates and logical typing. Monadic high-order logic is the natural environment in which predicate abstraction expresses the semantics of typical linguistic structures. Many examples of logical representations of natural language sentences in HLL (HML+NL) are provided. Finally, network models, extensions, and applications for the interaction with chatbots are briefly discussed (Main Reference: V. Manca, “Agile Logical Semantics for Natural Languages”, Information, Vol. 15, Issue 1, 64; 2024).

CV: Vincenzo Manca studied Mathematics at the University of Pisa, under the supervision of Alfonso Caracciolo (ICNR) and Ennio De Giorgi (Scuola Normale Superiore). He worked and taught at the universities of Pisa, Udine, Limerick, and Verona, where he was a full professor of Computer Science (2002-2019). He developed research in Mathematical Logic, Formal Languages, Computability, Information Theory, Mathematical Linguistics, and Bioinformatics. He published more than 200 journal papers and 20 books, being also a member of the editorial board of various international scientific journals and about 30 international conferences. He directed research projects by collaborating with groups in Europe, USA, China, and Japan. In 2006 he cofounded the bachelor course in Bioinformatics and in 2016 the master coure in Medical Bioinformatics, at the University of Verona, where, in 2008, he cofounded the Museum of History of Computer Science and became the director of CBMC (Center di BioMedical Computing). A special issue of “Natural Computing” (Springer, March 2011) was dedicated to him. Since 2019 he is an Honorary Professor of Computer Science at the University of Verona.