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Chemical Systems for Wetware Artificial Life: Selected Perspectives in Synthetic Cell Research
1Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies (DiSTeBA), University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|September 28, 2023
Summary
Synthetic biology (SB) advances, particularly in synthetic cells (SCs), introduce wetware as a crucial pillar in the Sciences of Artificial. This approach offers unique insights into life, cognition, and chemical AI, exploring semantic information and meaning generation.
Area of Science:
- Synthetic Biology
- Artificial Intelligence
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Advances in bottom-up synthetic biology (SB) have led to the development of synthetic cells (SCs).
- Wetware technologies are emerging as a third pillar in the Sciences of Artificial, complementing hardware (robotics) and software (AI).
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the role of wetware approaches in modeling life and cognition.
- To explore novel bio-inspired technologies and systems, particularly chemical AI, through SB.
- To examine the concept of semantic information and its quantification in artificial systems.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing bottom-up synthetic biology (SB) principles.
- Applying concepts of semantic information quantification (Kolchinsky and Wolpert).
- Analyzing autonomy and cognition in artificial systems.
Main Results:
- Wetware offers a unique perspective complementary to robotics and AI for understanding life and cognition.
- SB facilitates the exploration of novel bio-inspired technologies, including chemical AI.
- Semantic information is linked to meaning generation, autonomy, and cognition in artificial systems.
Conclusions:
- Wetware technologies, particularly synthetic cells, are fundamental to the future of the Sciences of Artificial.
- Synthetic biology provides a powerful framework for developing advanced artificial intelligence and cognitive systems.
- Understanding semantic information is key to creating truly autonomous and meaningful artificial systems.
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