the network

The Network

Sixteen generations of zooid societies, built from six primitive species of unit — each able to do exactly one job, and honest about what it cannot.

The six archetypes

Six primitive species of unit. Every zooid society is built from these — each does exactly one job, and names what it cannot do.

Recognizer

Learns a region and recognizes membership. Doesn't map inputs to outputs.

Perceptron

Learns an input → output function. One boundary, not a whole graph.

Sensor

Transduces raw input into features. Reads the world; doesn't decide.

Operator

Performs one operation; a graph computes by synchronized pulses. Evaluates, doesn't prove.

Arbiter

Holds one rule and renders a verdict. Judges; doesn't learn.

Analyst

Reads content and extracts a relationship. Finds structure; doesn't rank.

Sixteen generations

From a 12-byte perceptron to a homegrown brain, the network has grown through sixteen generations — each naming its honest ceiling as plainly as its reach.

See all sixteen generations →