Cooperative network construction using digital germlines

This paper describes a study in the evolution of cooperative behavior, specifically the construction of communication networks, through digital evolution and multilevel selection. In digital evolution, a population of self-replicating computer programs exists in a user-defined computational environment and is subject to instruction-level mutations and natural selection. Multilevel selection links the survival of the individual to the survival of its group, thus encouraging cooperation. The results of experiments using the Avida digital evolution platform demonstrate that populations of digital organisms are capable of constructing communication networks, and that these networks can exhibit desired properties depending on the selective pressures used. We also show that the use of a digital germline can significantly improve evolvability of cooperation. Categories and Subject Descriptors I.2.8 [Computing Methodologies]: Artificial Intelligence—Problem Solving, Control Methods, and...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2008
• Where: GECCO
• Authors: David B. Knoester, Philip K. McKinley, Charles Ofria
• Keywords: Communication Networks, Digital Evolution, GECCO 2008, Multilevel Selection, Optimization