by Kristaps Grieznis published on Thursday, June 1st, 2025
At the beginning of 2025, while conducting research on connection types at Aalto university, I had a strange realization. Theoretically, humans are natural organisms, a product of millions of years of evolution. But practically, the more I studied the systems around us, the more I began to suspect we may have artificial properties embedded in us. What if we are not as naturas as we believe? What if we are simply organic machinery equipped with emotions and running on coded instructions - a kind of biological artificial intelligence? Such a bold question deserves some context.
The idea came during a research exploration into the concept of "connections". I was focused on relationship between the body and the mind - how these connections are formed, and how they function. At the time, I was working on a product called KUKUBO (which I will write about in another publication), and it sparked a deep curiosity about our biological nature. It gave me hopeless shivers - the same ones I get when I try to imagine the vastness of the Sahara Desert or the depth of our oceans. At the centre of that awe was Deoxyribonucleic Acid, or simply DNA.
DNA is a special molecule that is hidden in all life on Earth and acts as our biological instruction manual. It is made from 20 different types of amino acids, like microscopic LEGO set. These amino acids are incredibly small, but with the guidance of DNA, they combine in countless ways to form proteins, which carry out the essential functions of our body. These proteins help form cells, which build tissues and organs, and together they create a living being.
In 2017 Yale University announced that “A splash of river water now reveals the DNA of all its creatures.” They were referring to environmental DNA (eDNA), which are traced of genetic material left behind by organisms, that can live in water for up to 40 hours. A single sample can reveal which species inhabited an area kilometers upstream. That was over eight years ago, and the progress since then has been remarkable.
Earlier this year, a group of scientists was awarded with the Nobel Prize for developing AlphaFold, an AI system that predicts the 3D structure of a protein based on its amino acid sequence. This solved a 50-year-old biological puzzle, opening the door to cancer treatment, disease modeling and perhaps one day, synthetic life.
If DNA is code, and proteins are its executable instructions, then what makes us fundamentally different from any other coded system? Could we actually reverse-engineer this system? Build a new life, not from scratch, but backwards, starting with the proteins themselves?
This idea is no longer science fiction. The ability to generate millions of protein shapes now allows researchers to explore lab-grown tissues and even organoids, which are simplified versions of human organs grow in vitro. These organoids mimic real tissue structure and function and are used to study diseases and even drug responses. Using what's called organoid engineering strategies, stem cells can be turned into complex systems, such as liver tissue, brain cells and more, as if natures process is slowly becoming programmable.
In future we may even hear - scientists have merged robotics with biology, creating the first bio-assisted systems. Current technologies still depend on electricity or external power sources, but future systems may run on more organic fuels like oxygen or water. Hydrogen-powered vehicles already exist, though they present technical challenges like low energy density and carbon emissions. But this evolution suggests an inevitable trajectory: toward living machines or machine-like life.
This brings me full circle, back to the question: Could it be that we are artificial intelligence ourselves, designed by a higher order system, developed in a "lab" that is far beyond our comprehension?
I understand how radical that sounds. But when I observe how our bodies are structured, how instructions are encoded across life, and how technology are beginning to replicate those processes, I cannot help but question what truly separates the organic from the artificial.
While these topics are deeply scientific, I approach them through an artistic lens. There is a profound elegance in how life is constructed, in how simple molecules lead to consciousness, emotions and identities. As a designer, my role is to keep questioning, exploring and connecting dots that may be overlooked. The next great discovery may not come from the answers, but from courage to keep asking unsettling questions.
Lets talk
Mail: kgrieznis@gmail.com
Phone: +371 20510336
Location: Helsinki / Rīga
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© Kristaps Grieznis Studio
Phone: +371 20510336
Location: Helsinki / Rīga
Connect: Instagram / LinkedIn
© Kristaps Grieznis Studio