Nothing makes sense in engineering if it is not in the light of evolution

Abstract

We often take for granted that the evolution occurs only in the substrate of the living matter. However, it can explain phenomena in other fields, and it also has found utility in engineering. Evolutionary computation is among the most promising methodologies in the computer sciences. It is founded on concepts as the selection of the fittests, the genetic encoding, and how mutation or sexual recombination can introduce variation and diversity. Evolutionary algorithms are applied to design problems, where they contribute with novelty: exploring multiple solutions in parallel, as opposed to the “vertical” strategy of the brain. This inventive ability makes evolutionary computation a perfect candidate to model one of the most distinctive aspects of humans: artistic creativity. Iamus is a computer designed at the University of Malaga. It has been programmed by a multidisciplinary research team to learn the musical language and composition techniques. Its first album provoked mixed feelings of awe and skepticism, and started in the media a profound debate around the nature of the arts. The fact that Iamus can compose human-level music derives from its bioinspired grounding, providing the musical structures with some of the attributes responsible of the complexity of the living matter.