# On Creativity and Open-Endedness

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.18016 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.18016/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 7 of its 83 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 28 May 2024.

## Builds on (most cited first, 7 of 7)

- [The Surprising Creativity of Digital Evolution: A Collection of Anecdotes from the Evolutionary Computation and Artificial Life Research Communities](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1803.03453/) (2018)
- [Autonomy, Authenticity, Authorship and Intention in computer generated art](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1903.02166/) (2019)
- [Evolutionary Innovations and Where to Find Them: Routes to Open-Ended Evolution in Natural and Artificial Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1806.01883/) (2018)
- [Modelling Creativity: Identifying Key Components through a Corpus-Based Approach](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1609.03357/) (2016)
- [A Vision For Continuous Automated Game Design](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1707.09661/) (2017)
- [Embodiment and Computational Creativity](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2107.00949/) (2021)
- [Evolutionary Innovation Viewed as Novel Physical Phenomena and Hierarchical Systems Building](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2107.09669/) (2021)

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [An Information-Theoretic Definition for Open-Ended Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.08369/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Artificial Life (ALife) as an interdisciplinary field draws inspiration and influence from a variety of perspectives. Scientific progress crucially depends, then, on concerted efforts to invite cross-disciplinary dialogue. The goal of this paper is to revitalize discussions of potential connections between the fields of Computational Creativity (CC) and ALife, focusing specifically on the concept of Open-Endedness (OE); the primary goal of CC is to endow artificial systems with creativity, and ALife has dedicated much research effort into studying and synthesizing OE and artificial innovation. However, despite the close proximity of these concepts, their use so far remains confined to their respective communities, and their relationship is largely unclear. We provide historical context for research in both domains, and review the limited work connecting research on creativity and OE explicitly. We then highlight specific questions to be considered, with the eventual goals of (i) decreasing conceptual ambiguity by highlighting similarities and differences between the concepts of OE and creativity, (ii) identifying synergy effects of a research agenda that encompasses both concepts, and (iii) establishing a dialogue between ALife and CC research.