Runaway Coevolution

Bateson studied coevolutionary systems in which organisms and environments shape each other through ongoing interaction. Usually the feedback is regulated — negative feedback loops return the system toward equilibrium. But when the feedback becomes positive — each party's changes amplifying rather than correcting the other's — the system runs away toward an extreme. The peacock's tail is the biological paradigm: female preference for ornamental tails drives males toward more elaborate plumage, which drives further female preference, until the tail becomes dysfunctional but the coevolutionary momentum cannot stop. For the AI age, the framework identifies a characteristic risk of the human-AI relationship. The human becomes more dependent on the tool. The tool becomes more capable. The capability increases the dependence. The dependence drives further development. The system spirals toward tighter coupling that neither party chose but neither can escape.