Artificial life: a constructive lower bound for artificial intelligence

Artificial life refers to computational investigations of questions involving the nature of life and its evolution; it is considered as a lower bound on artificial intelligence, as embodied in the statement that ´the dumbest smart thing you can do is stay alive´. The centrality of evolution to artificial life and the algorithmic approach to evolutionary modeling are examined. Approaches to modeling the environment are discussed and the relationship between artificial life and computation is explored.<>