Book Image

Hands-On Genetic Algorithms with Python

By : Eyal Wirsansky
Book Image

Hands-On Genetic Algorithms with Python

By: Eyal Wirsansky

Overview of this book

Genetic algorithms are a family of search, optimization, and learning algorithms inspired by the principles of natural evolution. By imitating the evolutionary process, genetic algorithms can overcome hurdles encountered in traditional search algorithms and provide high-quality solutions for a variety of problems. This book will help you get to grips with a powerful yet simple approach to applying genetic algorithms to a wide range of tasks using Python, covering the latest developments in artificial intelligence. After introducing you to genetic algorithms and their principles of operation, you'll understand how they differ from traditional algorithms and what types of problems they can solve. You'll then discover how they can be applied to search and optimization problems, such as planning, scheduling, gaming, and analytics. As you advance, you'll also learn how to use genetic algorithms to improve your machine learning and deep learning models, solve reinforcement learning tasks, and perform image reconstruction. Finally, you'll cover several related technologies that can open up new possibilities for future applications. By the end of this book, you'll have hands-on experience of applying genetic algorithms in artificial intelligence as well as in numerous other domains.
Table of Contents (18 chapters)
1
Section 1: The Basics of Genetic Algorithms
4
Section 2: Solving Problems with Genetic Algorithms
9
Section 3: Artificial Intelligence Applications of Genetic Algorithms
14
Section 4: Related Technologies

Artificial neural networks and deep learning

Neural networks are among the most commonly used models in machine learning and were inspired by the structure of the human brain. The basic building blocks of these networks are nodes, or neurons, which are based on the biological neuron cell, as depicted in the following diagram:

Biological neuron model
Source: https://pixabay.com/vectors/neuron-nerve-cell-axon-dendrite-296581/

The neuron cell's dendrites, which are surrounding the cell body on the left-hand side of the preceding diagram, are used as inputs from multiple similar cells, while the long axon, coming out of the cell body, serves as output and can be connected to multiple other cells.

This structure is mimicked by the artificial model called the perceptron, illustrated as follows:

Artificial neuron model the perceptron

The perceptron calculates the output...