The following is a fascinating hypothesis. I wonder if I will ever have the chance to use a biomimetic interface capable of transporting my thoughts to a text and/or voice file as I walk and think, or as I dream, thereby sparing my memory capacity and physical effort for such time-consuming tasks.
"Quorum Sensing as a Moral Framework?
Here’s where the concept takes a turn.
Unlike neural networks or centralized controllers, quorum systems make decisions collectively. There's no CEO cell barking orders, just decentralized cooperation. In theory, this makes quorum-based architectures more robust, adaptive, and ethical by design. Decisions emerge not from command but from consensus.
Could this be the basis for a new kind of artificial intelligence, one that is emergent, participatory, and self-regulating?
Synthetic biologists such as Drew Endy have long argued for biological computation that emphasizes cooperation over control (Endy, 2005). If future multicellular machines are going to live among us, in our guts, our buildings, or our landscapes—they may need to think more like bacterial collectives than centralized AIs.
Thanks so much for this thoughtful comment! Your vision of a biomimetic interface that records thoughts as you walk or dream is incredibly compelling. And yes, the idea that quorum sensing could serve as both a design principle and a moral compass for future AI is something I think we’re just beginning to grasp. Decentralized, cooperative intelligence might be not only more ethical, but more alive.
It was a good read, I want more!
Thanks so much Michael!
The following is a fascinating hypothesis. I wonder if I will ever have the chance to use a biomimetic interface capable of transporting my thoughts to a text and/or voice file as I walk and think, or as I dream, thereby sparing my memory capacity and physical effort for such time-consuming tasks.
"Quorum Sensing as a Moral Framework?
Here’s where the concept takes a turn.
Unlike neural networks or centralized controllers, quorum systems make decisions collectively. There's no CEO cell barking orders, just decentralized cooperation. In theory, this makes quorum-based architectures more robust, adaptive, and ethical by design. Decisions emerge not from command but from consensus.
Could this be the basis for a new kind of artificial intelligence, one that is emergent, participatory, and self-regulating?
Synthetic biologists such as Drew Endy have long argued for biological computation that emphasizes cooperation over control (Endy, 2005). If future multicellular machines are going to live among us, in our guts, our buildings, or our landscapes—they may need to think more like bacterial collectives than centralized AIs.
Thanks so much for this thoughtful comment! Your vision of a biomimetic interface that records thoughts as you walk or dream is incredibly compelling. And yes, the idea that quorum sensing could serve as both a design principle and a moral compass for future AI is something I think we’re just beginning to grasp. Decentralized, cooperative intelligence might be not only more ethical, but more alive.