[westoncb]

Personally, I see no reason why creative machines couldn't be built.

Another thought on the local/less local/global maxima problem: it seems possible that, taking a very abstract view of things, the whole reason we developed the sort of thought which distinguishes humans from other animals is to address the escaping local-maxima problems (summed up by the situation where you're in a maze, but have to go 'backward' in some sense in order to get out). While discursive thought may be worse than analogical thought at this sort of thing, our lower 'animal brain' functionality is even more geared to dealing with local maxima/minima.