5. New AI & Embodied Intelligence

During the "Second AI Winter," scientist Rodney Brooks, celebrated for his groundbreaking work in robotics, pioneered an alternative approach to traditional AI that eschewed reliance on complex, internal symbolic representations (Brooks 1999). Instead, Brooks focused on fostering direct interaction between robots and their environment, giving rise to what came to be known as the "New AI." This departure from the conventional paradigm of explicit rule encoding marked a significant shift in AI research.

Contrary to the conventional methods of developing intricate algorithms and symbolic knowledge models, New AI emphasises the use of emergent behavioural patterns and experiential learning. This approach enables robots to engage with their surroundings in a more autonomous and adaptable manner, a methodology often referred to as "behaviour-based robotics." Central to New AI is the concept of embodied intelligence, positing that intelligence emerges not solely from cerebral processing but from the dynamic interplay between an agent's body and its external environment. Brooks exemplified this concept through the development of physical robots like the renowned Cog, engineered to move and interact with the physical world and humans in a naturalistic manner.

5.1 Systems Thinking in Video Games

Throughout the 1990s New AI and ALife served as wellsprings of inspiration for new-media artists. Notably, their influence permeated the socio-cultural sphere, profoundly impacting video games such as SimCity and Civilization. SimCity, conceived by Will Wright and initially launched in 1989, gained widespread popularity during the 1990s. The game introduced the concept of systems thinking into city design, requiring players to balance diverse factors such as transportation, housing and environmental concerns to cultivate successful urban centres. This approach underscored the notion that complex social systems could be effectively represented in a game or simulated environment, with implications extending to real-world urban planning. Indeed, professionals in fields such as engineering, architecture and design increasingly embraced a holistic approach to urban planning, mirroring the strategies depicted in SimCity.

Video of SimCity, first release (1989).

The influence of New AI and ALife in the 1990s transcended the realm of video games, permeating various aspects of culture and technology.

5.2 ALife in the Arts

In contemporary art the integration of artificial life (ALife) into artistic expression has evolved into a distinct art form. Notable figures such as Nell Tenhaaf, Susie Ramsay and Rafael Lozano-Hemmer contributed significantly to this movement. In 1999 Lozano-Hemmer initiated the Art and Artificial Life International Awards (VIDA), which aimed to foster artistic exploration within the realm of artificial life. Over its sixteen-year span the award recognized artists exploring the intersection of technology and creativity. Among the recipients were robotics artists Louis-Philippe Demers, Ken Rinaldo and Bill Vorn, whose work drew inspiration from Rodney Brooks's New AI movement. Similarly influenced by Brooks, artist and media theorist Simon Penny coined the term aesthetics of behaviour to describe artwork involving artificial agents interacting with the real world.