Genetic Programming: Theory and Practice

In 2003 the Center for Complex Studies (CSCS) of the University of Michigan organized the first Genetic Programming Theory and PracticeWorkshop to bring together practioners and theorists to bridge the gap between what practicioners were doing and what theorists were studying. In the introductory chapter of that volume the authors described Genetic Programming (GP) as “a young art that is just beginning to make its way into applications programming in a serious way” (Riolo and Worzel, 2004). Five years later GP is still a relatively young field, but it is rapidlymaturing and has produced a substantial track record of significant successes on large-scale, real world applications. However, these successes are still generally achieved by researchers with significant expert knowledge of GP; successful application of GP to large scale problems remains out of the reach of novices. The lack of a rigorous, detailed theory that is mature enough to guide the development of GP systems to solve specific problems contributes to this weakness. Thus, there remains an on-going need to both strengthen theory and to keep it closely tied to the practice of GP. The Genetic Programming Theory and Practice Workshops remain focused on this goal.