You're right, the search space is deceptive and going directly towards the goal might lead to a dead end. Only in hindsight we can tell which stepping stones we

You're right, the search space is deceptive and going directly towards the goal might lead to a dead end. Only in hindsight we can tell which stepping stones were essential. Immediate results are the best, but in the meantime we need to focus on novelty and interestingness. A great video about open-endedness (warning - very long) with Kenneth Stanley, author of the book "Why Greatness Cannot be Planned" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhYGXYeMq_E&t=350s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhYGXYeMq_E&t=350s