And we know that programs within computers can evolve intelligence without anyone consciously making them that way.
Some species visited long ago has not only evolved intelligence, but intelligence sufficient to achieve space travel.
They were not intelligent enough to understand what had happened (in a million years, would they have evolved good hands and high intelligence?)
By this time, Doomsday had evolved intelligence and sentience.
It took so long for the Solar System to evolve intelligence it seems unlikely there will be others, ever.
Did the cold climate drive the naked ape to evolve enough intelligence to kill other animals and use their fur to keep warm?
We know life can evolve sufficient intelligence to leave its star, because we've done it.
If I'd seen them before we left civilization, I'd have bet they would evolve human intelligence.
We still don't know whether they came here on their own or were brought here before they evolved intelligence.
"I mean, what's going to force them to evolve higher intelligence?"