If the machinery self-assembles, doesn’t that imply that the machinery has intelligence of it’s own?
How else would something mindless self-assemble into something producing intelligence?
I can see intelligence before machinery, but machinery before intelligence just doesn’t work.
No.
"How else would something mindless self-assemble into something producing intelligence?"
The consistent properties of the elements of reality are what gives rise to the assemblies that provide for the functions of intelligence. The properties themselves are not and do not provide for the functions of intelligence.
"I can see intelligence before machinery, but machinery before intelligence just doesn’t work."
There is no intelligence, or any other function w/o the machinery to enable that function. IOWs, functions can not and do not exist w/o some underlying machinery that enables the function.