# Evolutionary Computation > **Machine-Evolution Nexus:** [[articles/Digital Darwinism and the Invisible World of Machine Evolution|Digital Darwinism and the Invisible World of Machine Evolution]] places this node within the history and governance of substrate-independent evolution. **Domain:** Computation / Optimization / Evolution **Doc Type:** Canonical Wiki Node **Maturity:** Developed ## Definition Evolutionary computation is a family of population-based methods using variation, evaluation, selection and inheritance to search or adapt. ## Nexus Context It includes genetic algorithms and genetic programming but differs from open digital ecology when humans fix the representation, objective and reproduction schedule. ## Evidence Boundary The methods instantiate selected evolutionary mechanisms; they do not automatically create organisms, open-ended evolution or legitimate objectives. ## Relationships [[wiki/Evolutionary Algorithms|Evolutionary Algorithms]], [[wiki/Genetic Algorithm|Genetic Algorithm]], [[wiki/Optimization|Optimization]], [[wiki/Ecosystem Scenario|Ecosystem Scenario]] ## Simple Reminders, Quotations, and Thoughts > "Reproduction, which is a subset of the resource needs, becomes a non-issue for an immortal machine that can perform self-repair." > **— Kevin P. Hand**, *2015, Edge annual question “What Do You Think About Machines That Think?”* [[reminders/Evolution/Immortal Machines May Not Need Reproduction by Kevin P. Hand|Immortal Machines May Not Need Reproduction by Kevin P. Hand]] > "Building consciousness from scratch implies following a new and very different evolutionary path to that of human intelligence." > **— Juan Enriquez**, *2015, Edge annual question “What Do You Think About Machines That Think?”* [[reminders/Consciousness/Machine Consciousness May Require a Different Evolutionary Path by Juan Enriquez|Machine Consciousness May Require a Different Evolutionary Path by Juan Enriquez]] > "However, until our brains coevolve with machines, our preferences will be the selection force. The machines that best satisfy them will evolve further, not to some singularity, but to become partners who fulfill our desires, for better or worse." > **— Randolph Nesse**, *2015, Edge annual question “What Do You Think About Machines That Think?”* [[reminders/Evolution/Machines Will Evolve to Fulfill Human Desires by Randolph Nesse|Machines Will Evolve to Fulfill Human Desires by Randolph Nesse]] > "Human interaction is built upon a kind of psychology that only our species has mastered." > **— Nick Enfield**, *2015, Edge annual question “What Do You Think About Machines That Think?”* [[reminders/Evolution/Social Thinking May Be Uniquely Human by Nick Enfield|Social Thinking May Be Uniquely Human by Nick Enfield]] > "What we have learned about the evolution of our intelligence adds to our fears." > **— Alun Anderson**, *2015, Edge annual question “What Do You Think About Machines That Think?”* [[reminders/Evolution/Understanding Human Evolution Can Intensify Fear of AI by Alun Anderson|Understanding Human Evolution Can Intensify Fear of AI by Alun Anderson]] ## Sources / Provenance - Eiben and Smith, _Introduction to Evolutionary Computing_; Holland and Koza.