Life.

Life can be defined as the property or quality that distinguishes living organisms from dead organisms and inanimate matter, manifested in functions such as metabolism, growth, reproduction, and response to stimuli or adaptation to the environment originating from within the organism. Enter the evolving robot article. http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/08/real-life-decepticons-robots-learn-to-cheat/

So we define life as functions in which metabolism, growth, reproduction, response originating from within the organism. Well, it has a metabolism, but it doesn't grow... yet. It responds, but it doesn't reproduce... yet.

Perhaps we are on the cusp of a new classification in which life will be a secondary consideration. A machine definitely doesn't have to be sentient to reproduce. For that matter neither does a living being. Even humans don't need to be sentient to reproduce. Perhaps this is the mystery of the universe. Machines. After all isn't our solar system just a giant machine? It uses the force of gravity to cycle light/darkness cycles. Sure it's not conventional in the sense of having gears or levers, but neither do chargers that use magnetic induction.

Are we creating the diatomes of a silicone-based life form civilization that will survive past our extinction and is it possible that some long lost technology with evidence directly beneath our noses begat us?

What would you use to describe it?