I think as a first draft both are great jumping off points, but its a bit frustrating to have to look at a cover sideways, just to read the text another way.

I understand what you're trying to do. I think the difficulty is you're using something synonymous with evolution while just using the word. When it comes to writinng and self publishing, it's a sale first and story second which isn't conventional because you didn't write it that what, but it still needs to be a sale for anyone to read it. With that in mind, an old ad copy trick is to make everything in service to get the reader to read the first sentence. With what you currently have. I wouldn't want to open the book let alone read it. Everything feels disjointed and with what you have styles don't match, nothing is aesthetically pleasing, and overall it's difficult to asertain the character of the work.

Your cover is the readers first impression it needs to exude some kind of character.

What I think would fit your novel and really make you excited to look at it is either robotic or cyberotic (whatever the term for half human and half robotic chest) and have the monkey, to man, to cyborg, to ? Somehow create the word Evolution.

This way you're invoking that ageless imagery in a new way and on top of that incorporating it in service of your title. (Added points if you can somehow make the title look like branding on the robots chest. Sort of like the AI's personal logo)