Comparative Ecology: A Computational Perspective

Abstract

A long-standing dream in the field of artificial intelligence has been to use evolutionary processes to produce systems of greater competence than those we can directly design. This paper compares different evolutionary models-such as biological ecosystems, markets, and EURISKO-with respect to this goal. This comparison suggests that a form of ecosystem here termed a direct market (as opposed to the indirect market of human society) is a promising basis for computational ecosystems. Related papers in this book elaborate a vision of direct computational markets termed agoric open systems.