Alternative inspiration for artificial immune systems: Exploiting Cohen's cognitive immune model

In this chapter, we highlight the idea that actively investigating alternative theories of the immune system can identify new and novel inspiration for artificial immune systems (AIS). It is clear that there is disagreement amongst immunologists concerning many mechanisms of the immune system, often providing an unclear picture for the engineer trying to exploit immune ideas. In spite of this, the abundence of immune theories can be beneficial to the AIS practioner if investigated in detail. Here we provide an example of this by describing Irun Cohen's cognitive immune model and showing how, from this, new ideas for AIS inspiraction can be identified and exploited.