Emerging Emergence

Emergent systems ( or just “emergence” ) is a mathematical model that remains elusive despite wide use and frequent occurrence in nature. A flock of birds may be thought of as an example of an emergent structure. No one bird controls the direction of the flock, yet a complex pattern arises out of a multiplicity of simple interactions.

There are many examples of emergence in biology (swarms, colonies and biospheres), chemistry (polypeptide chains), physics (color), psychology (the mind), ecnomomies (stock market), cities (urban planning), mathematics (mobius strip), and, of course, networks (topologies). Let’s consider social networking.

In an ideal social network, there are no “wrong” choices, only preferences. Likewise, investing resources in unpopular aspects of a network, supporting a rare user preference, can boost overall growth. Social networks need variety in order for users to be distinct. This is very different than a conventional mass market. Simply considering one index like “hits” or “click-through”, and then optimizing around it, breeds uniformity. An emergent simulation, in contrast, allows for a more complex model which treats customization and self expression as variables.

In addition to providing a networking model, emergent systems are also useful to designers and artists seeking to render naturalistic forms. One of the most anticipated video games of this year, Spore, uses emergent systems extensively to generate content. What once required an army of artists and animators can be accomplished mathematically during game play.

Will Wright, the creator of Spore, sees emergent techniques as potentially enabling independent developers who cannot compete with the production budgets of large studios. Although emergent systems are often thought of as a framework for decentralization, in this case, the roles of the artist and developer have begun to converge.

One curious emergent phenomena is the emergence of emergent systems! Once the stuff of the classroom, emergent systems are turning up everywhere. They have gone from being theoretically possible to typical. Individual applications of emergent systems can be groundbreaking, but even more interesting is the universalization of this model.