On the Parallels Between Evolutionary Theory and the State of AI
This work addresses foundational problems in AI design for researchers and practitioners, offering a novel perspective but with incremental potential as it synthesizes existing insights.
The paper tackles the limitations of contemporary AI by drawing parallels with evolutionary biology, proposing a new design paradigm inspired by Evolutionary Developmental Biology to overcome these constraints and enable AI to achieve its aspirational goals.
This article critically examines the foundational principles of contemporary AI methods, exploring the limitations that hinder its potential. We draw parallels between the modern AI landscape and the 20th-century Modern Synthesis in evolutionary biology, and highlight how advancements in evolutionary theory that augmented the Modern Synthesis, particularly those of Evolutionary Developmental Biology, offer insights that can inform a new design paradigm for AI. By synthesizing findings across AI and evolutionary theory, we propose a pathway to overcome existing limitations, enabling AI to achieve its aspirational goals.