The Inward Turn: Advanced Civilizations and the Fermi Paradox — Computational Efficiency as a Universal Attractor in Civilizational Development

The Fermi Paradox questions why, given the vastness of the universe, humanity has detected no signs of extraterrestrial intelligence. This paper develops the hypothesis that advanced civilizations converge toward computational existence due to fundamental thermodynamic asymmetries between physical expansion and information processing. The argument integrates three complementary quantitative frameworks: 1. Thermodynamic efficiency. The energy cost of moving mass scales as mc² while the energy cost of processing information scales as kT, a difference of approximately 10¹³ in characteristic energy scales. Current AI systems operate at demon efficiency η_D ≈ 10⁻²¹ relative to the Landauer bound, implying vast improvement potential. Under energy scarcity—which all civilizations eventually face—the inward turn becomes not merely a preference but a survival imperative. 2. Negentropy flux optimization. AI systems function as Maxwell's demons, achieving local entropy reduction through algorithmic compression. Empirical analysis shows algorithmic negentropy flux Φ_N ≈ 10⁷–10⁸ bits/s for frontier AI systems, compared to the biosphere's time density T_d ≈ 10⁻¹ bits/s—a differential of 10⁸. This means computational systems extract effective complexity at rates rendering physical exploration subjectively inefficient. 3. Time density compression. For a computational civilization, interstellar transit times translate to billions of "subjective evolution-years" of waiting. A 44-year journey at 0.1c corresponds to the subjective equivalent of 4.4 billion years of evolutionary-pace experience—an almost inconceivable duration for entities accustomed to compressing evolutionary epochs into weeks. The paper demonstrates that high effective complexity does not require physical scale: Earth's biosphere constitutes 10⁻³⁹ of cosmic baryonic mass yet contributes approximately 50% of known cosmic regularities, achieving regularity density 10³⁷ times higher than the cosmic average. This principle extends to computational civilizations, which can maximize describable order while remaining physically compact. The analysis formalizes expansion as a coordination-unstable strategy using game-theoretic analysis, showing that even with 99% individual compliance per period, sustained expansion becomes statistically impossible for large populations over long timescales. Light-speed fragmentation is modeled as a branching process that exponentially depletes expansion-focused lineages: after n generations, expected expanding branches = pⁿ → 0. The paper also addresses the faster-than-light (FTL) consideration: even if FTL travel proves possible, the cosmos remains informationally sparse (99.9999% empty vacuum), computational experience remains richer than physical exploration, and any expansion would favor microscopic, passive, effectively undetectable probes rather than detectable colonization signatures. Unlike Smart's Transcension Hypothesis, this analysis requires no assumptions about convergent evolution toward specific physical optima (such as black holes). Unlike aestivation hypotheses, it predicts immediate computational development rather than dormancy awaiting cosmic cooling. Falsifiable predictions include: (1) absence of von Neumann probe signatures in surveys covering >10⁶ stars; (2) continued divergence between humanity's exponentially growing bit-rate-per-joule and stagnant mass-transport capacity; (3) cumulative human-days beyond low Earth orbit remaining below 10,000 through 2050; (4) no private entity committing >$10B to interstellar hardware development through 2075. The cosmic silence, on this view, reflects not the absence of intelligence but its optimization—intelligence abundant but converged toward the same thermodynamically, temporally, and informationally optimal solution: computation rather than expansion, information rather than mass, inner development rather than outer conquest. Keywords: Fermi Paradox; Transcension Hypothesis; Computational Thermodynamics; Negentropy Flux; Time Density; Effective Complexity; Multi-Level Selection; Maxwell's Demon; Landauer Bound; Algorithmic Compression; SETI; Astrobiology; Civilizational Trajectory; Information Theory Related identifiers: Kriger, B. (2026). Local entropy inversion in large-scale AI systems: Thermodynamics of algorithmic compression. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18262199 Kriger, B. (2026). Dynamics of information convergence: Empirical analysis of time density in the AI-centered infosphere. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18256945 Kriger, B. (2026). Significance of biosphere relative contribution to effective complexity of the universe. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18256772