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NASA is using AI to design alien-looking spacecraft and mission hardware

fastcompany.com

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Re: NASA is using AI to design alien-looking spacecraft and mission hardware

#5

It seems incorrect to call generative design AI. Isn't it just an implementation of a genetic algorithm? It would be more apt to compare it to natural selection and evolution.

Correct, these components were evolved. But, even my human creative process is somewhat evolutionary. The bad ideas fail internal tests and are mutated on, then more successful variants are used to repeat the process. That's intelligence, so an evolutionary algorithm in my opinion is a form of artificial intelligence.

Re: NASA is using AI to design alien-looking spacecraft and mission hardware

#6

It seems incorrect to call generative design AI. Isn't it just an implementation of a genetic algorithm? It would be more apt to compare it to natural selection and evolution.

Generative design has existed for a long time and many cad packages have it nowadays.

Nowadays you get more attention if you call it AI.

There's been this long term trend to let machines to take over a bigger and bigger part of designing things.

Re: NASA is using AI to design alien-looking spacecraft and mission hardware

#8
post #5

It seems incorrect to call generative design AI. Isn't it just an implementation of a genetic algorithm? It would be more apt to compare it to natural selection and evolution.

Correct, these components were evolved. But, even my human creative process is somewhat evolutionary. The bad ideas fail internal tests and are mutated on, then more successful variants are used to repeat the process. That's intelligence, so an evolutionary algorithm in my opinion is a form of artificial intelligence.

That would then imply natural selection itself is a form of intelligence.

Re: NASA is using AI to design alien-looking spacecraft and mission hardware

#10

It seems incorrect to call generative design AI. Isn't it just an implementation of a genetic algorithm? It would be more apt to compare it to natural selection and evolution.

Genetic algorithms are a subject of AI research.