Exploratory Research

At Flink Labs, curiosity is our compass. We research how intelligence, complexity, and emergence intertwine naturally, exploring how intelligent systems form, adapt, and thrive within their environments. We approach these themes through three interconnected perspectives.

Latent Life

Latent Life investigates how intelligent, adaptive behaviours organically emerge from simple interactions inspired by nature. Using artificial life techniques like neural cellular automata, developmental algorithms, and biologically inspired memory, we replicate nature’s incredible capacity for complexity, adaptation, and resilience. The driving question is “Can intelligence evolve naturally, rather than be imposed?”

Digital Worm Mind - Crafting an artificial neural network inspired by the brain of the microscopic worm C. elegans.
Living Memories - Building memory systems for AI agents modelled after biological processes like Hebbian learning.
Evolving Digital Warriors - Training competitive CoreWar programs using reinforcement learning to discover novel strategies beyond human ingenuity.

Emergent Agency

Emergent Agency explores how intention, cooperation, and communication spontaneously arise among autonomous agents in shared environments. Using multi-agent reinforcement learning, emergent languages, and game theory, we study collective intelligence—not just what agents do, but why. This work reveals deeper insights into autonomous decision-making, negotiation, and covert collaboration.

Language from Scratch - Uncovering how communication evolves spontaneously among AI agents.
Hidden Conversations - Identifying covert communication and collusion patterns in multi-agent AI systems.
Inside the Mind of Agents - Investigating interpretability methods to understand the internal logic of agent-to-agent communication.

Situated Intelligence

Situated Intelligence focuses on embedding intelligence directly within constrained, physical, and resource-limited environments. Inspired by embodied cognition, permacomputing, and edge computing, we design minimalistic, robust, and adaptive intelligent systems. Our aim is intelligence that thrives in the messy complexity of real-world contexts.

Tiny Communicators - Developing microcontroller-based AI agents capable of spontaneously evolving communication systems.
Digital Plant Whisperers - Exploring digitally augmented communication in plants, bridging biology and technology in novel ways.

Interrelation of the Three Perspectives

These perspectives form an interconnected triangle of exploration:

Latent Life provides foundational insights into intelligent growth, adaptability, and structural resilience.

Emergent Agency explores the dynamics of collective intelligence, communication, and autonomous interactions.

Situated Intelligence grounds these ideas in practical, real-world constraints and opportunities.

Together, they support a holistic exploration of intelligence, complexity, and emergence—each perspective enriching the others.

Research Integration with Creative Partnerships

At Flink Labs, our research naturally extends into carefully selected commercial projects. This ensures each collaboration is driven by deep curiosity, thoughtful exploration, and results in innovative, intelligent, and impactful outcomes:

Our research enhances our commercial engagements, ensuring every collaboration results in innovative, intelligent, and thoughtfully designed outcomes.

Latent Life enables solutions that evolve intelligently and remain resilient amidst change.

Emergent Agency enriches projects by providing deep insights into collaborative interactions and nuanced communication strategies.

Situated Intelligence ensures our solutions are robust, efficient, and responsive to real-world challenges, ideal for embedded AI and resource-constrained environments.