Automatic induction of generalization hierarchies for reinforcement learning

In popular fiction, artificially intelligent agents experience the same world as humans. A spacecraft computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey can attempt to stop the astronauts who want to deactivate it. A droid in Star Wars can infiltrate a space station and help rescue a princess. A robot in Short Circuit can discover the value of life and reject its military programming. These machines have the capacity to behave effectively in novel situations that their creators could not have explicitly anticipated.