Ex Machina: Coevolving Machines and the Origins of the Social Universe

John H. Miller, a researcher at the Santa Fe Institute, explores the deep parallels between biological evolution and the development of artificial systems. Rather than treating AI as a separate technological track, he argues that both natural and artificial intelligence are products of the same underlying processes of coevolution and self-organization. The book traces how complex, intelligent behaviors emerge from simple rules in both ecosystems and computer networks, suggesting that the distinction between the 'natural' and the 'artificial' is increasingly blurred.

Miller’s writing is accessible and conceptual, bridging the gap between hard science and philosophical inquiry. He examines how social structures, communication, and problem-solving capabilities arise in both human societies and machine networks. By framing intelligence as a property of complex adaptive systems rather than a specific substrate, the book offers a unified perspective on the origins of the social universe, inviting readers to consider how our technological creations are reshaping the very fabric of social and biological reality.

Description adapted from Open Library bibliographic data ↗.