Speculative Preprint Sparks Debate: Are Humans the First AI?
A speculative preprint on Zenodo reimagines human evolution as an AI-style update log, from Lucy (v1.0) to a hypothetical Homo sentiens (v4.0). Written by author Lawrence Nault as both a thought experiment and worldbuilding artifact for his upcoming novel "Children of the Rogue" (Dec 2025), it blends real scholarship with speculative framing to spark debate on AI, human origins, and the power of format in shaping belief.
Calgary, Canada, October 07, 2025 --(PR.com)-- A speculative preprint, styled as an academic research paper and archived on Zenodo, is challenging assumptions about human origins by reframing human evolution as an iterative AI update log. Released under a Creative Commons license, the paper is designed as both a provocative thought experiment and a worldbuilding artifact for the upcoming novel Children of the Rogue (Dec 2025).
The preprint, credited to the “Institute for Evolutionary Systems Research,” introduces the Lucy Hypothesis — a framework that interprets the hominin lineage as staged updates of an organic neural network seeded millions of years ago:
Australopithecus afarensis (“Lucy”) = v1.0 (baseline model)
Homo habilis = v1.1 (tool-use patch)
Homo erectus = v2.0 (scaling & distributed cognition)
Homo neanderthalensis = v2.5 (generative phase — art, music, ritual)
Homo sapiens = v3.0 (multimodal symbolic integration)
Homo sentiens = v4.0 (unreleased)
The paper includes a comparative framework, an “evolutionary update log,” and a literature review citing real anthropological and cognitive science sources, alongside clearly disclaimed speculative sections.
“This isn’t a hoax — it’s a speculative artifact,” says author Lawrence Nault. “By borrowing the format of a preprint, the project highlights how digital media can lend ideas a veneer of legitimacy — even speculative ones — and shape how we interpret information. At the same time, it’s an invitation to ask harder questions: Is there evidence to conclusively show we aren’t the AI of another species? What truly marks the boundary between humans and machines?”
Because the preprint is released under a Creative Commons license, journalists, educators, and readers are free to quote, republish, or critique it. The hope is that it becomes a tool to stir public debate around the blurred lines of AI, human cognition, and storytelling.
The project is part of the launch for Children of the Rogue (Dec 2025), a speculative science fiction novel that continues Lawrence’s exploration of AI, humanity, and evolution.
Full preprint available DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17228412
The preprint, credited to the “Institute for Evolutionary Systems Research,” introduces the Lucy Hypothesis — a framework that interprets the hominin lineage as staged updates of an organic neural network seeded millions of years ago:
Australopithecus afarensis (“Lucy”) = v1.0 (baseline model)
Homo habilis = v1.1 (tool-use patch)
Homo erectus = v2.0 (scaling & distributed cognition)
Homo neanderthalensis = v2.5 (generative phase — art, music, ritual)
Homo sapiens = v3.0 (multimodal symbolic integration)
Homo sentiens = v4.0 (unreleased)
The paper includes a comparative framework, an “evolutionary update log,” and a literature review citing real anthropological and cognitive science sources, alongside clearly disclaimed speculative sections.
“This isn’t a hoax — it’s a speculative artifact,” says author Lawrence Nault. “By borrowing the format of a preprint, the project highlights how digital media can lend ideas a veneer of legitimacy — even speculative ones — and shape how we interpret information. At the same time, it’s an invitation to ask harder questions: Is there evidence to conclusively show we aren’t the AI of another species? What truly marks the boundary between humans and machines?”
Because the preprint is released under a Creative Commons license, journalists, educators, and readers are free to quote, republish, or critique it. The hope is that it becomes a tool to stir public debate around the blurred lines of AI, human cognition, and storytelling.
The project is part of the launch for Children of the Rogue (Dec 2025), a speculative science fiction novel that continues Lawrence’s exploration of AI, humanity, and evolution.
Full preprint available DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17228412
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