What, concretely, is being analogized when we compare AI training to evolution?
People (myself included) often handwave what is being analogized when it comes to comparing evolution to modern ML. Here’s my attempt to make it concrete:
Both are directed search processes (hence the analogy)
Search space: possible genes vs. possible parameter configurations
Direction of search: stuff that survives and increases in number vs. stuff that scores well on loss function
Search algorithm: random small steps vs. locally greedy+noisy steps
One implication of this is that we should not talk about whether one or another species tries to survive and increase in number (“are humans aligned with evolution’s goals?”) but rather whether genetic material/individual genes are doing so.
Have you read the evolution sequence? I think it does a good job of explaining why the direction of change isn’t quite toward stuff that survives and increases in number.
What, concretely, is being analogized when we compare AI training to evolution?
People (myself included) often handwave what is being analogized when it comes to comparing evolution to modern ML. Here’s my attempt to make it concrete:
Both are directed search processes (hence the analogy)
Search space: possible genes vs. possible parameter configurations
Direction of search: stuff that survives and increases in number vs. stuff that scores well on loss function
Search algorithm: random small steps vs. locally greedy+noisy steps
One implication of this is that we should not talk about whether one or another species tries to survive and increase in number (“are humans aligned with evolution’s goals?”) but rather whether genetic material/individual genes are doing so.
Have you read the evolution sequence? I think it does a good job of explaining why the direction of change isn’t quite toward stuff that survives and increases in number.
No I have not, will take a look
Actually maybe I have but forgot its contents haha
Edit: Wait it is super long, could you more succinctly explain where I’m going wrong?