Kolmogorov Theory, State of the Art Overview, 2000–2026
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) March 19, 2026 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19108189 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Proposes that brains and algorithmic agents construct compressive models of the world, and that the structure of subjective experience mirrors the algorithmic structure of these models. The document presents this framework, its theoretical results, and supporting empirical and computational work as a unified research program. |
Abstract
This document provides a self-contained overview of the Kolmogorov Theory (KT) of consciousness---a research program spanning over two decades (2000--2026) that grounds the study of cognition, agency, and structured experience in Algorithmic Information Theory (AIT). KT proposes that brains and, more generally, algorithmic agents build and run compressive models of the world, and that the structure of subjective experience reflects the algorithmic structure of these models. We summarize the core ontology, trace the intellectual arc of the published corpus, outline the main theoretical results, and survey the empirical and computational work that supports and extends the framework.