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Can AI Help Us Assess Neo-Darwinism?

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Evolution
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Can artificial intelligence be applied to the scientific theory of Darwinian evolution to help us evaluate its strengths and weaknesses? On a new episode of ID the Future, host Casey Luskin concludes his conversation with two distinguished PhD scientists who are asking tough questions of neo-Darwinism: Olen Brown, Professor Emeritus of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Missouri, and David Hullender, Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Texas, Arlington. Over two episodes, Luskin unpacks three recent scientific papers written by Brown and Hullender warning that neo-Darwinism must be updated if it has any hope of surviving as a theory.

In Part 2, Luskin discusses the latest paper from Brown and Hullender, published in Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology, titled “Darwinian Evolution has Become Dogma; AI Can Rescue What is Salvageable.” In it, the authors argue that general AI has strong but unrealized potential both for assessing and also for solving major problems with the prevailing naturalistic account of life’s origins. “Evolution…is a puzzle,” say Brown and Hullender. “It necessarily involves the absurdly improbable self-assembly of many complex biological machines using simpler parts. We propose that [AI] would work well for assessing ideas about biological evolution, especially the problem of self-assembly.” 

Go here to find and listen to the podcast. This is Part 2 of a two-part discussion. Listen to Part 1.

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Andrew McDiarmid

Director of Podcasting and Senior Fellow
Andrew McDiarmid is Director of Podcasting and a Senior Fellow at Discovery Institute. He is also a contributing writer to Mind Matters. He produces ID The Future, a podcast from the Center for Science & Culture that presents the case, research, and implications of intelligent design and explores the debate over evolution. He writes and speaks regularly on the impact of technology on human living. Discovery Institute co-founder and bestselling author George Gilder has called McDiarmid “a scintillating venturer beyond the surfaces of technology to their hidden depths and meanings.” His work has appeared in numerous publications, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Daily Wire, Real Clear Politics, Newsmax, The American Spectator, Technoskeptic Magazine, and elsewhere. In addition to his roles at Discovery Institute, he promotes his homeland as host of the Scottish culture and music podcast Simply Scottish. Andrew holds an MA in Teaching from Seattle Pacific University and a BA in English/Creative Writing from the University of Washington.
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