Emergent intelligence (aka emergent behaviour or swarm intelligence) works by lots of 'agents' obeying simple rules. The way in which they interact (wth each other and their environment) creates a global (emergent) intelligence which is greater than the sum of it's parts.

A good example is ants. Contrary to popular opinion, ant colonies are not ruled by the queen ant. In fact no one ant plans, instructs or commands any of the other ants - they each go about their business operating on their own simple rules and use pheromone trails to communicate with other ants (e.g. food this way, or big nasty ants over there - avoid them!).

Since no ant is in charge and there is no command structure of any kind. Therefore it is both amazing and facinating to see the colonies they create - this is the emergent intelligence.

Okay, hopefully that gives you an idea about emergence. I have become so fascinated by this subject that I wanted to have a go myself. And so the concept of Battle Droids was born.

Further Reading

• Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities and Software
  by Steven Johnson
   
• Ants at Work
  by D Gordon