Sodarace, an online game that lets contestants build and race virtual beasts, is being used to pit humans against a variety of artificial-intelligence algorithms.

Each creature is constructed of “mass,” muscles,” “limbs” and “joints” that control the way it moves. A creature’s key parameters can driven by a computer program; AI programmers are being invited to take part.

A variety of programming approaches are being tested, including genetic algorithms to “evolve” the fastest artificial creature and neural networks.