Tim Taylor
artificial life, open-ended evolution, artificial intelligence and other crazy ideas
Barricelli's final paper on Artificial Life available here!
In Chapter 5 of Rise of the Self-Replicators I discuss Nils Aall Barricelli’s pioneering work in the 1950s on evolving self-replicating digital organisms. There I mention his final paper on the topic, published in 1987 and entitled Suggestions for the starting of numeric evolution processes to evolve symbioorganisms capable of developing a language and technology of their own.
25 May 2022
The first journal paper on our work using agent-based models to study bee pollination systems
Competition and pollen wars: Simulations reveal the dynamics of competition mediated through heterospecific pollen transfer by non-flower constant insects (2020). Our agent-based model of bee pollination dynamics reveals a novel mechanism whereby heterospecific pollen transfer may benefit the pollen producer.
One of my favourite papers that received relatively little attention
Redrawing the Boundary between Organism and Environment (2004). I describe a biosemiotics-inspired approach to modelling the evolution of sensing, action and behaviour in computational systems. The paper received very positive comments from the reviewers, but hasn't made much of an impact in the years that followed. I'll soon be embarking on some new experimental work based upon these ideas!
My latest thoughts on the concept of open-ended evolution
Evolutionary Innovations and Where to Find Them: Routes to Open-Ended Evolution in Natural and Artificial Systems (2019). An analysis of the general design requirements for open-ended creativity in evolutionary systems.
Speaking at Cambridge University on Darwin and the Machine
I am excited to be travelling down to Cambridge University this week to participate in the Histories of Artificial Intelligence Winter Symposium. I will be presenting a talk entitled Darwin and the Machine: Evolutionary influences in 19th and early 20th century visions of superintelligent AI, and their relevance today.
11 Dec 2021