  We introduce here the concept of Artificial General Creatures (AGC) which
encompasses "robotic or virtual agents with a wide enough range of capabilities
to ensure their continued survival". With this in mind, we propose a research
line aimed at incrementally building both the technology and the
trustworthiness of AGC. The core element in this approach is that trust can
only be built over time, through demonstrably mutually beneficial interactions.
  To this end, we advocate starting from unobtrusive, nonthreatening artificial
agents that would explicitly collaborate with humans, similarly to what
domestic animals do. By combining multiple research fields, from Evolutionary
Robotics to Neuroscience, from Ethics to Human-Machine Interaction, we aim at
creating embodied, self-sustaining Artificial General Creatures that would form
social and emotional connections with humans. Although they would not be able
to play competitive online games or generate poems, we argue that creatures
akin to artificial pets would be invaluable stepping stones toward symbiotic
Artificial General Intelligence.
