Intelligence Without a Brain—Perspectives from the Aneural Slime Mold as a Computing Model for Artificial Intelligence

The slime mold Physarum polycephalum is presented as an alternative model due to its complex behavior, learning abilities, and promising electrical properties, despite being a single-celled organism. Its unique characteristics, such as forming efficient networks and demonstrating memristive properties, make it a compelling candidate for new computing architectures. The slime mold’s natural energy efficiency and problem-solving capabilities offer valuable insights for AI, network design, material science, and environmental monitoring. This chapter proposes a framework for exploring Physarum ’s potential both as a biological material with neuromorphic qualities and as an inspiration for bio-inspired computing, suggesting that it may hold the key to advancing beyond traditional computing paradigms.