Yes, that's right, geneTic, not geneRic. Genetic algorithms are shortcuts to "evolve" solutions to hard problems, by mimicking real-world biological evolution. They find "good enough" solutions much more quickly than precise calculation or brute-forcing the solution space. Their randomness often reveals great solutions that humans probably would never have thought of, such as NASA's twisty ST5 spacecraft antenna, developed by a genetic algorithm in 2006!

This talk will explain the concept, and then walk through some examples, explaining terms and pointing out tradeoffs and nuances along the way.

You will learn a powerful technique for solving problems that might otherwise be computationally intractable, including in ways no human would probably ever think of directly!

This talk is simple enough that novices can grok it, but it can be useful for devs of all levels.

I have done this talk for several conferences so far. You can see the videos in my playlist at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMrm16n64Buag1--3P3xf9KnrH330nrPc .

Agenda:
- What are genetic algorithms?
- Why are they useful?
- Brief history
- Examples of pre-existing usage
- Overview of how they work
- Walkthrough of creating ones to solve different kinds of problems (e.g., knapsack, traveling salesman, and/or others), pointing out terms, tradeoffs, nuances, etc. along the way
- FAQs as time allows
- Conclusion/recap
- Q&A