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Quote by: Derek Wolff  Computers have to run on its programming solely, it has no free will, therefore no matter how real it is not alive. Maybe when articifial intelligence is invented we can have this argument. |
Insects are considered alive, and their neural architecture does not leave much room for free will. Unlike us they have an inflexible set of responses that closely resemble the programming of your computer. For example, moths are programmed to fly towards the moon and if they see another light source that matches their definition they will fly towards it no matter what. This is why you see insects banging themselves against sodium lamps at night until they die.
Computers cannot produce digital life equal to humans at this time. Unlike a moth our neural architecture continually remodels itself and is hundreds of thousands of times larger. Even emulating a mouse-sized neural network is cutting edge.
IBM's BlueGene L supercomputer simulates half a mouse brain - Engadget