Greedy Isn't Always Bad: Heuristics in Genetic Algorithms

Day 17: Greedy Isn’t Always Bad: Heuristics in Genetic Algorithms

Genetic algorithms thrive on randomness and gradual improvement, but randomness alone often leads to slow convergence. While global search is essential to explore the full solution space, local improvements can dramatically accelerate progress. That is where heuristics come into play. Specifically, greedy heuristics can guide genetic algorithms by introducing problem-specific knowledge that favors better starting points, smarter offspring, and faster convergence.