Istvan Elek, Ph.D.
Eotvos Lorand University, Budapest, Hungary

Series: Computer Science, Technology and Applications
BISAC: COM014000

This book is primarily for computer scientists who research the individual and multitude’s intelligence and knowledge representation. The author attempts to answer the following question: Can intelligence spontaneously emerge? The answer is yes. Experimental results will be introduced in order to demonstrate the answer.

This book can also be interesting for evolutionary biologists because the evolution of life is not independent of the evolution of intelligence. It is important to therefore consider that this book should not only target computer scientists. So far, intelligence has emerged spontaneously in biological systems only. Simple organisms had very low levels of intelligence during the emergence of life on Earth. Along with their self-development, their forms of intelligence have also been evolving.

The author has introduced a concept which demonstrates that a low level of intelligence can emerge spontaneously in certain circumstances. A wide ranging and theoretical background of the Digital Evolutionary Machines (DEM) are described. Many experimental results prove that the answer is yes. The majority of DEMs have died, but some seem to live forever, where only probabilistic effects influence the phenomenon.

The DEM concept also was tried and applied in circumstances of a traditional wumpus-world. The result is similar, regardless of what kind of world the DEMs live in. Beings collect data from their surrounding world and build their own or successors’ knowledge base. They collect information about energy sources, dangerous places, or anything that is interesting to them. Their own internal logic, interests and desires only decide what they do, and why and how they control their life.