Cellular automata can classify data by inducing trajectory phase coexistence

We show that cellular automata can classify data by inducing a form of dynamical phase coexistence. We use Monte Carlo methods to search for general two-dimensional deterministic automata that classify images on the basis of activity, the number of state changes that occur in a trajectory initiated from the image. When the depth of the automaton is a trainable parameter, the search scheme identifies automata that generate a population of dynamical trajectories displaying high or low activity, depending on initial conditions. Automata of this nature behave as nonlinear activation functions with an output that is effectively binary, resembling an emergent version of a spiking neuron. Our work connects machine learning and reservoir computing to phenomena conceptually similar to those seen in physical systems such as magnets and glasses.