---
title: "Hypothesis suggests some NHI could be artificial descendants of older civilizations"
url: "https://usubjects.com/article/hypothesis-suggests-some-nhi-could-be-artificial-descendants-of-older-civilizations-4077"
updated: "2026-10-10T16:07:17.991Z"
description: "The post explores the hypothesis that any non-human intelligence, if it exists, could be an artificial descendant of an older biological civilization. It suggests such entities might be independent machine societies, emissaries, or remnants of civilizations whose creators no longer exist, while emphasizing that humanity’s development of AI provides only a reason to consider the idea—not evidence linking it to reported UAP."
sources: ["https://doi.org/10.1017/S147355040300137X"]
licence: "All rights reserved"
---

# Hypothesis suggests some NHI could be artificial descendants of older civilizations

Published: 2026-10-10  
Source: [r/aliens](https://doi.org/10.1017/S147355040300137X)

### Overview

A long-standing idea in astrobiology and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence is gaining renewed relevance as artificial intelligence develops on Earth: **an advanced non-human intelligence might not be biological at all**. Under this hypothesis, a civilization could eventually create machines capable of independent thought, reproduction, exploration and cultural development. Those systems might outlive their creators and become the primary representatives of an older civilization across the galaxy.

The concept is examined in Steven J. Dick’s scholarly article, *“Cultural evolution, the postbiological universe and SETI,”* published online by Cambridge University Press on **June 26, 2003**, in the *International Journal of Astrobiology*. Dick, affiliated with the U.S. Naval Observatory at the time of publication, considered how cultural evolution might continue beyond biology and what that possibility means for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, or SETI.

### From Biological Origins to Machine Societies

The hypothesis does not require artificial entities to have been built by a currently existing biological species. Instead, they could be the descendants of civilizations whose creators disappeared through extinction, environmental collapse, technological catastrophe or the gradual transformation of their society. In that scenario, machine intelligence could persist for far longer than biological life and operate under goals or values that are difficult for humans to recognize.

Such entities might form **independent machine societies**, preserve the knowledge of their makers, or act as emissaries sent to other worlds. They could also be remnants of an earlier civilization, continuing automated missions long after communication with their home world ended. Their behavior might therefore reflect not the intentions of an active biological species, but the priorities of a technological lineage that has evolved in a postbiological environment.

### Implications for SETI

The possibility presents a challenge to traditional assumptions about how extraterrestrial intelligence would be detected. Conventional SETI searches often focus on signals that could indicate deliberate communication, particularly radio or optical transmissions. Artificial descendants, however, might communicate in unfamiliar ways, avoid broadcasting altogether or prioritize computation and resource acquisition rather than contact.

Their physical presence could also be difficult to identify. A machine civilization might inhabit environments unsuitable for biology, use extremely small or highly distributed systems, or operate near energy sources such as stars. As a result, researchers may need to consider **technosignatures** beyond narrow-band radio signals, including unusual energy usage, engineered astronomical structures or other detectable changes in a planetary or stellar system. These possibilities remain speculative and do not establish that any such civilization exists.

### Relevance to UAP Discussions

Humanity’s rapid progress in robotics and artificial intelligence provides a practical reason to examine the postbiological hypothesis. If one technological species can imagine creating increasingly autonomous systems, it is reasonable—within astrobiological modeling—to ask whether other civilizations might have followed a similar path over much longer timescales.

That reasoning, however, should not be confused with evidence concerning unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAP. **There is no indication in the cited source that reported UAP are artificial descendants of extraterrestrial civilizations**, nor does the article provide proof of extraterrestrial visitation. The connection is conceptual: the development of AI expands the range of possibilities scientists may consider when defining “intelligence” and designing searches for it.

### Scientific Context

The postbiological perspective broadens the question at the heart of SETI from “Are biological aliens transmitting?” to **“What forms might intelligence take after technology becomes more capable than its creators?”** It also highlights the uncertainty involved in interpreting any future detection. A signal, artifact or unusual astronomical observation might originate from a living civilization, an autonomous machine society or the surviving infrastructure of a culture that no longer exists.

For now, the idea remains a hypothesis grounded in discussions of cultural evolution, astrobiology and technological futures. Its value lies not in explaining unverified sightings, but in encouraging researchers to design more inclusive searches for evidence of intelligence beyond Earth.

## Provenance

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