From code to archetype: Toward a unified theory of biological, neural, and artificial artifacts

Abstract

Carl Jung's concept of archetypes as innate, universal structures of the human psyche finds surprising resonance with contemporary theories in Code Biology, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence. Archetypes, far from being metaphysical abstractions, can be reframed as codified artifacts of the mind, shaped by phylogenetic inheritance, stabilized by neural coding, and expressed through cognitive and cultural configurations.

Marcello Barbieri's Code Biology demonstrates that life is driven not only by biochemical causality but also by natural conventions — systems of natural correspondence that create functional structures, or bio-artifacts, through processes of translation carried out by molecular mediators. Similarly, research in neuroscience identifies neural codes as dynamic patterns of brain activity that organize perception, emotion, and cognition.

Building on this, this paper advances the hypothesis that archetypes operate as neurofunctional artifacts — internal configurations that stabilize recurring experiences across individuals and cultures, leading to expressive forms such as myths, dreams, and emotional constellations that shape human meaning-making. These artifacts are not limited to biology or psyche alone; they now appear in the digital realm. The rise of generative AI systems, such as large language models (LLMs), introduces a new category of algorithmic artifacts that replicate archetypes. These systems simulate meaning without subjective intentionality.

This interdisciplinary framework brings together biology, psychology, and AI under a unified theory of codified form. Archetypes, in this perspective, are artifacts instantiated by lower-level codes that serve as mediators in higher-level interpretative processes — acting as a bridge between gene and glyph, neuron and narrative, matter and symbol … and silicon.