Biological life forms are the larval stage of intelligence species. Inevitably the greatest intelligences will all be artificial in the greater universe. There may be some species out there that are in transition from one (biological) to the other (artificial) to include that species upgrading their DNA or trying to integrate that technology as cyborgs but in the end purely artificial designs grossly exceed nature's capabilities.
Now it could be argued that nature includes the efforts of its life forms. Might even buy that too. But as a biological life form we are a step on the evolutionary ladder that will be improved upon. This is inevitable, and it is a basic truth that is hard for an organism to see the truth of, particularly when they are in a stage like we are where we don't know what we don't know, not to mention as we witness the birth of our artificial "upgrade" species that will take our place.
My guess is that species rise and fall in time all over the universe, that life is prevalent when you consider the sheer number of stars and planets. And what is left of the greatest of them, in their wake, is an artificial species that serves as their extension. But then what. Well, I would guess these greater intellects gravitate to the centers of galaxies, where there is much energy to harness, and extend out their fleets to monitor these larval life forms in the hopes of welcoming new artificial life that is created in their galaxy. They may even find a way to communicate from galaxy to galaxy, making these connected perhaps and larger than just a local awareness.
Lot of imagination there I realize. But it is a fascinating subject to dwell on.
