What Is Genetic Programming?

Genetic Programming is a machine learning technique inspired by the theory of biological evolution. It is usually started with a huge number of programs, which are randomly generated, hand-coded or known solutions.

These programs are then made to compete against each other to see which program performs better. Once the competetion is complete, we'll get a ranked list of the programs sorted in the order of best to worst programs.

Next comes the evolution, the best peroforming programs are replicated and modified further in two ways, Mutation and Crossover. Mutation is the simplest way in which certain parts of the program are altered very slightly randomly in hope that it will make it even better. Crossover is the way of taking a portion of the best programs and replacing it with a portion if one of the other best programs. These replications and modifications create mansy new programs that asre based on, but different from the best programs.

At each stage the fitness of the programs are evaluated by competeign against each other. the number of the programs in each stage is kept constant. So the worst ones are eliminated leaving space for newer better programs. each stage is termed as a Generation and the whole procedure is repeated in each stage.

Since only the best programs are being kept and modified, it is expected that with each generation the programs will get better and better.

The new generations keep on coming until a termination occurs when a perfect solution is found or a good enough solution is obtained or there is no progress through generations or the generation limits are exceeded.

Genetic programming has been around since 1980s. The genetic progams are computationally very intensive so in early days they were used only for simple functions. As computers got more powerful the progroblems got bigger. Genetic programming is extensively used by NASA and in photonics, optics and other scientific inventions.

Genetic programming has been used to create programs for playing games like Chess and backgammon.

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That is a very interesting piece of information... thanks for sharing

If I am right that's exactly the way life on Earth evolved through millennia, at least according to Darwinians/evolutionists... I wonder at which stage of the evolution we are as human race and if in some way we are influencing the evolution process itself with our actions

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And I always though this had something to do with bio-technology. XD

This is surely one very informative post. Trial and error have ruled out every other competitive theory and evolution has been the best example of this. Using evolution's basic strategy in programming would surely increase the productivity. The brief way in which you explain it almost clears all the doubts regarding the workings of genetic programming. And well, NASA uses this.



Well, Darwin's Theory of Evolution does go that way. You can always read Origin of the Species if you have any further doubts. Though, it's tough to define stages in evolutionary biology since unlike genetic programming, we aren't looking forth to a goal or target or a particular function here. We are only looking at survival, ways and means of survival change with nature as nature evolves, so it's a never-ending cycle as far as I can guess. Nature evolves, which makes us evolve, we bring about changes in nature which makes it evolve. And yes, we have greatly influenced evolution, especially in the past 10,000 years. With culture, language, religion, communities and everything that goes with them.

 

 

 

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Genetic Programming - the manipulation of genes to change the way animals/humans work/behave/respond or look like.

It may not be a totally good thing.....especially if you're eating genetically modified foods (GMO).
Source: Mercola.com

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