Computing by nowhere increasing complexity

Abstract

A cellular automaton is presented whose governing rule is that the Kolmogorov complexity of a cell's neighborhood may not increase when the cell's present value is substituted for its future value. Using an approximation of this two-dimensional Kolmogorov complexity the underlying automaton is shown to be capable of simulating logic circuits. It is also shown to capture trianry logic described by a quandle, a non-associative algebraic structure. A similar automaton whose rule permits at times the increase of a cell's neighborhood complexity is shown to produce animated entities which can be used as information carriers akin to gliders in Conway's game of life.