Artificial intelligence is very specific, given context. Medical diagnostic programs use artificial intelligence to produce diagnoses from patient s symptoms. Artificial life, however, is very general. A researcher may use artificial life to simulate the behavior of a bug using basic needs, like food, rest and reproduction. The prioritized needs of the bug define the bug s behavior.
Neural networks are a class of adaptive algorithms.
Given a goal, like recognizing the meaning word, you can train the neural net to achieve the goal through contextual examples. The Norns in Creatures use neural nets to learn. Say, ball while your Norn is playing with a ball and the Norn eventually learns the word for ball. Genetic algorithms are another class of adaptive algorithms. A set of genes describes the methods each Creature uses to learn and solve problems.