Abstract

This paper examines the application of evolutionary analogy in AI (artificial intelligence) research, focussing on narratives that perpetuate individuated and autonomous imaginaries of AI systems through biological diction. AI research has long drawn inspiration from evolution to design and predict algorithmic change. Occasionally, these narratives extend inspiration to reimagine AI as a non-human species subject to the same evolutionary pressures as biological organisms. As AI technologies embed more pervasively in public life and require critical perspectives on their social impacts, these comparisons in AI discourse raise critical questions about the limits of and responsibility in employing such analogies and their potential impact on how broader audiences consume and perceive AI systems. This paper examines the diverse ways and intentions behind how evolution is invoked in AI research narratives by analysing the adaptation of individuating evolutionary language and concepts across three fields of AI-related research: evolutionary computing, Artificial Life, and existential risk. It scrutinises the challenge of accurate scientific communication when drawing inspiration from biological evolution and assigning organismal attributes to digital technologies whilst decontextualising wider evolutionary scholarly discourses. I argue that the intertwined history between evolutionary theory and technological change paired with the potential risks to wider perceptions of AI and biological evolution, requires (1) strategic consideration about the limits of evolutionary analogies in categorising AI in relation to biological organisms, balancing creative inspiration with scientific caution and (2) active, collaborative multidisciplinary engagement with addressing potential misinformation, recognising that biological narratives have sociopolitical implications that influence human interaction with machines.