Chris Kempes

And then we got to a point where we were mostly interested in, well, just artificial life in the computer. We had enough resources. So then it's all just about how do you get the right sort of evolutionary dynamic? How do you get open-ended evolution? How do you get things that build up higher layers of structure and function?

And then we got to a point where we were mostly interested in, well, just artificial life in the computer. We had enough resources. So then it's all just about how do you get the right sort of evolutionary dynamic? How do you get open-ended evolution? How do you get things that build up higher layers of structure and function?

And there's a really wonderful bit of artificial life that was done there. And now with the emergence of AI and LLMs, I think we're back to really wondering about scale and constraints, right? I mean, there's a huge debate there about what will happen if we make the neural nets 10 times as big and how many data centers does that take?

And there's a really wonderful bit of artificial life that was done there. And now with the emergence of AI and LLMs, I think we're back to really wondering about scale and constraints, right? I mean, there's a huge debate there about what will happen if we make the neural nets 10 times as big and how many data centers does that take?

And so I think we're back to thinking very clearly about scale and about ultimately the physical resources that you need to support artificial intelligence or artificial life or really sophisticated computer programs.

And so I think we're back to thinking very clearly about scale and about ultimately the physical resources that you need to support artificial intelligence or artificial life or really sophisticated computer programs.

It's a great question. So recently they've been called for some of those reasons that you're mentioning, Sean, in terms of the problems that raises. Recently, these transitions have started to become major transitions in individuality. rather than major evolutionary transitions. I haven't heard that one. That's good.

It's a great question. So recently they've been called for some of those reasons that you're mentioning, Sean, in terms of the problems that raises. Recently, these transitions have started to become major transitions in individuality. rather than major evolutionary transitions. I haven't heard that one. That's good.

Yeah. Now, I think individuality is also a complicated concept. And so then we're into talking about, well, what is an individual and how do you define that? And people like David Krakauer at SFI work on entire theories of individuality. And that's a frontier area in and of itself. So I think that reframing doesn't quite solve all the problems with how do you know one? How do you spot one?

Yeah. Now, I think individuality is also a complicated concept. And so then we're into talking about, well, what is an individual and how do you define that? And people like David Krakauer at SFI work on entire theories of individuality. And that's a frontier area in and of itself. So I think that reframing doesn't quite solve all the problems with how do you know one? How do you spot one?

What's the right metric? Right. I think generally what people are thinking about is you have extra layers of architecture or hierarchy where you've packaged together more lower level things into some higher level thing. And where that higher level thing in an evolutionary sense operates as a whole. So the selection that matters to it, the evolution that matters to it is really on the whole.

What's the right metric? Right. I think generally what people are thinking about is you have extra layers of architecture or hierarchy where you've packaged together more lower level things into some higher level thing. And where that higher level thing in an evolutionary sense operates as a whole. So the selection that matters to it, the evolution that matters to it is really on the whole.

Now, many of the transitions are really murky where we have for multicellular organisms, for example, we have lots of organisms that happily live as a single cell and then come together in multicellular assemblages and even have their own physiology and set of responses and behaviors in that multicellular assemblage. And then when life shifts, they go back into the unicellular level.

Now, many of the transitions are really murky where we have for multicellular organisms, for example, we have lots of organisms that happily live as a single cell and then come together in multicellular assemblages and even have their own physiology and set of responses and behaviors in that multicellular assemblage. And then when life shifts, they go back into the unicellular level.

That even happens in bacteria. Bacteria are going in and out of these biofilms and making complicated choices about whether to form a biofilm and stay in a biofilm. And so multicellularity is a great example of a really murky idea.

That even happens in bacteria. Bacteria are going in and out of these biofilms and making complicated choices about whether to form a biofilm and stay in a biofilm. And so multicellularity is a great example of a really murky idea.

I think many people would point to a major evolutionary transition in individuality as multicellular where it's not so easy to go back and forth between the unicellular and the multicellular phase. And where the multicellular really is being selected, the genomes of the multicellulars are really being selected as a whole.

I think many people would point to a major evolutionary transition in individuality as multicellular where it's not so easy to go back and forth between the unicellular and the multicellular phase. And where the multicellular really is being selected, the genomes of the multicellulars are really being selected as a whole.

So in our case, all of the features that we do, everything we do in our life, if we're going to have children... results in a single copy, half a copy for each human being combined with another half a copy to form a new organism. So eventually everything goes through one copy of the genome to go through development and form an entire other multicellular organism. So it doesn't matter that

So in our case, all of the features that we do, everything we do in our life, if we're going to have children... results in a single copy, half a copy for each human being combined with another half a copy to form a new organism. So eventually everything goes through one copy of the genome to go through development and form an entire other multicellular organism. So it doesn't matter that