1. Rise of the Machemes
how technology creates itself

2. The perfect twitter account

3. Impossible
or
A lot of work
or
Evolved technology

4. Evolution...
• variation
• selection
• replication

5. 1 Genes
2 Memes
3 Machemes

6. Machemes
• Memes build themselves archives
• Machemes are the information that is
stored in the archives
• Machemes do not disappear if you forget
them

7. Examples of Copying
Machemes

9. Can Machemes Evolve?

10. To test this
I created my own
Machemes

11. Nachten-Bot

12. Goedenacht-Bot

13. Hoerajarig-Bot

14. Group of bots talking...
with each other
with people
with other
bots

15. Unsuccessful Bot

16. Structure of the bots

17. Using the information
differently

18. Can we find evolution
in my machemes?

19. Applied to the bots
• twitter-bot = technological system
• tweet = technological system

20. Wagner?
A (biological) system is evolvable if:
• its properties show heritable genetic
variation, and if natural selection can thus
change these properties.
• it can acquire novel functions through
genetic change, functions that help the
organism survive and reproduce.

21. Yes!

22. Dawkins?
Properties of a successful replicator:
• Copying-fidelity
• Fecundity
• Longevity

23. Yes!

24. Pocklington and Best?
• Units of selection

25. Yes!

26. Machemes can evolve

27. A little experiment

28. Summary
• A macheme is information outside the
human brain
• My Bots exhibit evolutionary behaviour

29. Observations
• meme-macheme-transmission
• evolution arises from complex technology
• open ended evolution
• successful and unsuccessful machemes
• conditions for success: reach and units of
selection
• machemes have more in common with genes

30. Discussion
• Perspective
• Future of the Bots
• Turing test
• Singularity
• Further research

31. Acknowledgement
• Bastiaan
• Wouter
• Kirsten and Alfons
• Lola, Arie, Bas H.
• PIP

32. Thanks for listening