regarded as an unknown, a concept that by its very name challenges nearly every norm and convention we have as individuals and as a society. Thusly because of its inherent alien nature artificial life will be subject to the same prejudices as race, gender and religion, once it is integrated into society and assumes roles associated with humans. As we venture deeper into the realms of artificial life we must uncover not only its potential but also its implications. Artificial Intelligence can be traced back to ancient Egypt, the idea that an inanimate object can be infused with a human soul is not new; but in the murky annals of time much of the facts have been lost. Yet the concept of creating thought from material that is by definition lacking all cognizance or consciousness is admittedly not a new idea. The advent of the electronic computer in the early and mid 1940s gave science its first good glimpse at the future of intelligent machines. The likes of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells had dreamt them up, now the torch had been passed to make them reality. Although the computer provided the technology necessary for AI, it was not until the early 1950's that the link between human intelligence and machines was really forged. Norbert Weiner was one of the first Americans to make observations on the principle of feedback theory. The most familiar example of feedback theory is the thermostat: It controls the temperature of an environment by gathering the actual temperature of the house, comparing it to the desired temperature, and responding by turning the heat up or down. What was so important about his research into feedback loops was that Wiener theorized that all intelligent behaviors were the result of feedback mechanisms. Mechanisms that could possibly be simulated by machines, this discovery influenced much of early development of AI. When the collective light bulb turned on for the scientific community, it changed things overnight...
