Swarm Intelligence

animals, we are also interested in the computer programs that imple-

ment or simulate social behaviors. Some of these are simulations, where

a population of individuals is modeled in a program, and some are pro-

grams that interact socially with a user. There is much to learn from both.

Flocks, Herds, Schools, and Swarms: Social Behavior

as Optimization

Mutation and sexual genetic recombination, along with selection and

perhaps with self-organization (discussed in a later chapter), empower

evolution to search for optima on difficult landscapes. The important

function of random mutation and recombination is to introduce varia-

tion or innovation to a