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Why are genetic algorithms included? They are just a tool to explore multidimensional search spaces, and have nothing to do with AI unless they happen to be app

by j4mie 16y ago

Why are genetic algorithms included? They are just a tool to explore multidimensional search spaces, and have nothing to do with AI unless they happen to be applied to an AI problem. It would be nice if this was separated out into "old-fashioned" AI (data mining, statistical inference, machine learning, etc) and bio-inspired technologies (genetic algorithms, cellular automata, neural networks - although the latter may be a grey area). Alternatively, a better name than "Artificial Intelligence" should have been used for the site. Probably too late now though..

knithx 16y ago
Actually you can include genetic algorithms into the Artificial Intelligence when your fitness-function applied to individuals gets a little bit "intelligent" (heuristics, neural networks...)
- j4mie 16y ago
  Of course - but one of the on-topic example questions is "How can I avoid premature convergence to a local optima on my genetic algorithm?". That has nothing to do with AI.
lkozma 16y ago
I agree, that way they could have included "traditional" local optimization as well, although probably that will come up in machine learning questions anyway.
9ec4c12949a4f3 16y ago
It's interesting that we've changed our perception of AI based on our astonishment/honeymoon phase with a particular algorithm.
brendano 16y ago
The definition in the Russell and Norvig textbook is nice: "computational rationality"
- khafra 16y ago
  ...but given the widely-accepted computational theory of mind, humans are artificial intelligences too.
  - dhs 16y ago
    Excuse me, but I'd really like to see your evidence of how the computational theory of mind is "widely accepted".
    - khafra 16y ago
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computational_theory_of_mind http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computational_theory_of_mind > This view is common in modern cognitive psychology and is presumed by theorists of evolutionary psychology.
      - iskander 16y ago
        > common in modern cognitive psychology Only among a small besieged minority-- the majority have moved on to neurocognitive research. >and is presumed by theorists of evolutionary psychology That's just straight-up wrong. Perhaps there's some theorist who buys into it, but it's certainly not common.
endtime 16y ago
Just about every Intro to AI course ever teaches heuristic search. GA are a type of heuristic search.
iskander 16y ago
"old-fashioned AI" is usually a term reserved for symbolic techniques fashionable in the 60s, 70s, 80s. Learning and data-oriented techniques are mostly the new kids on the block (for Computer Scientists at least-- stats people have been at this game all along). As for bio-inspired techniques-- why should their point of inspiration be anything but a footnote? Genetic algorithms are just one instance of a stochastic search algorithm (there are many others), cellular automata can be pretty much anything, and so can neural networks (depending on whether you include the dozens of models more esoteric than multilayer perceptrons).

by j4mie 16y ago

knithx 16y ago

Actually you can include genetic algorithms into the Artificial Intelligence when your fitness-function applied to individuals gets a little bit "intelligent" (heuristics, neural networks...)

j4mie 16y ago
Of course - but one of the on-topic example questions is "How can I avoid premature convergence to a local optima on my genetic algorithm?". That has nothing to do with AI.

lkozma 16y ago

I agree, that way they could have included "traditional" local optimization as well, although probably that will come up in machine learning questions anyway.

9ec4c12949a4f3 16y ago

It's interesting that we've changed our perception of AI based on our astonishment/honeymoon phase with a particular algorithm.

brendano 16y ago

The definition in the Russell and Norvig textbook is nice: "computational rationality"

khafra 16y ago
...but given the widely-accepted computational theory of mind, humans are artificial intelligences too.
- dhs 16y ago
  Excuse me, but I'd really like to see your evidence of how the computational theory of mind is "widely accepted".
  - khafra 16y ago
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computational_theory_of_mind http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computational_theory_of_mind > This view is common in modern cognitive psychology and is presumed by theorists of evolutionary psychology.
    - iskander 16y ago
      > common in modern cognitive psychology Only among a small besieged minority-- the majority have moved on to neurocognitive research. >and is presumed by theorists of evolutionary psychology That's just straight-up wrong. Perhaps there's some theorist who buys into it, but it's certainly not common.

endtime 16y ago

Just about every Intro to AI course ever teaches heuristic search. GA are a type of heuristic search.

iskander 16y ago

"old-fashioned AI" is usually a term reserved for symbolic techniques fashionable in the 60s, 70s, 80s. Learning and data-oriented techniques are mostly the new kids on the block (for Computer Scientists at least-- stats people have been at this game all along). As for bio-inspired techniques-- why should their point of inspiration be anything but a footnote? Genetic algorithms are just one instance of a stochastic search algorithm (there are many others), cellular automata can be pretty much anything, and so can neural networks (depending on whether you include the dozens of models more esoteric than multilayer perceptrons).