What is it about?

In Rise of the Self-Replicators we delve into the deep history of thought about machines, AI and robots that can reproduce and evolve. Although these might seem like very modern concepts, we show that people were thinking about them as far back as the mid-1600s and that the discussion gathered pace in the 1800s following the British Industrial Revolution and the publication of Darwin's On The Origin of Species. Behind all of the work we discuss lie two central questions: Is it possible to design robots and other machines that can reproduce and evolve just like biological organisms do? And, if so, what are the implications: for the machines, for ourselves, for our environment, and for the future of life on Earth and elsewhere? The core of the book provides a chronological survey and comprehensive archive of the early history of thought about machine self-reproduction and evolution. It covers work by scientists, philosophers, science fiction writers and engineers, including many examples that have not been discussed elsewhere before now. We show that the work described can be categorised into two main flavours: one concerned with the evolutionary potential of such technology as a route to superintelligent AI, and the other concerned with the general manufacturing capabilities of self-reproducing machines with potential long-term applications including the colonisation of other worlds. We conclude with a discussion of what we consider to be the most likely directions for future work, emphasising that the management of risk in the development of this technology should be based upon a firm understanding of the issues at stake. In doing this, we hope to inspire a broad community discussion about the significant implications of intelligent evolving machines. Rise of the Self-Replicators will be of interest to the general reader and a valuable resource for researchers, practitioners, and historians engaged with ideas in artificial intelligence, artificial life, robotics, and evolutionary computing.

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This page is a summary of: Rise of the Self-Replicators, January 2020, Springer Science + Business Media,
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-48234-3.
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