ShanghAI Lectures: Samia Nefti-Mezziani “Non-rational Particle Swarm Optimization”

Guest talk in the ShanghAI Lectures, 2009-12-03

Among the evolutionary algorithms, Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) represents an optimization method where individuals, called particles, collaborate as a swarm to reach a collective goal. However, the usual logical decision processes used in the literature to model individual agent behaviour are generally found to be inadequate when the phenomena of uncertainty and risk are factored into the evolutionary process; and also incapable of fully emulating actual human decision-making behaviours under risk and uncertainty.

In this talk, I will propose a significant modification to agent reasoning processes employed so far in conventional Swarm Intelligence Techniques. I will show that endowing each particle with a non-rational behaviour, in the sense of Prospect Theory, can improve considerably the efficiency of global searching procedures. The results of this proposed technique is illustrated by numerical results obtained from applications to classical problems quoted in the literature.

The ShanghAI Lectures are a videoconference-based lecture series on Embodied Intelligence, run and organized by Rolf Pfeifer (from 2009 till 2012), Fabio Bonsignorio (since 2013), and me with partners around the world.

Dr Samia Nefti is Associate Professor Reader in Computational Intelligence at University of Salford and head of Computational Intelligence and Robotics Research Group. She is a leading expert internationally in artificial intelligence and her research interests over the last 19 years are concerned with the development of cognitive models for information processing and decision support systems for complex and non-linear systems and fuzzy optimasation and clustering. Dr Nefti has published and edited extensively in the above areas, which appeared in leading academic journals. She has also organized many international and national conference and workshop. She has been involved and led national (EPSRC, TSB) and European (FP5, FP6) multi-disciplinary research projects. She is a Chartered member of BCS and active member of the European Network for the Advancement of Artificial Cognitive Systems and Vice-President of IEEE UKRI Chapter in Robotics and Automation.

The ShanghAI lectures have brought us a treasure trove of guest lectures by experts in robotics. You can find the whole series from 2012 here. Now, we’re bringing you the guest lectures you haven’t yet seen from previous years, starting with the first lectures from 2009 and releasing a new guest lecture every Thursday until all the series are complete. Enjoy!

Nathan Labhart Co-organizing the ShanghAI Lectures since 2009.

Nathan Labhart Co-organizing the ShanghAI Lectures since 2009.