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An Automatic Convolutional Neural Network Optimization Using a Diversity-Guided Genetic Algorithm

Hyperparameters and architecture greatly influence the performance of convolutional neural networks (CNNs); therefore, their optimization is important to obtain the desired results. One of the state-of-the-art methods to achieve this is the use of neuroevolution that utilizes a genetic algorithm (GA) to optimize a CNN. However, the GA is often trapped into a local optimum resulting in premature convergence. In this study, we propose an approach called the “diversity-guided genetic algorithm-convolutional neural network (DGGA-CNN)” that uses adaptive parameter control and random injection to facilitate the search process by exploration and exploitation while preserving the population diversity. The alternation between exploration and exploitation is guided by using an average pairwise Hamming distance. Moreover, the DGGA fully handles the architecture of the CNN by using a novel finite state machine (FSM) combined with three novel mutation mechanisms that are specifically created for architecture chromosomes. Tests conducted on suggestion mining and twitter airline datasets reveal that the DGGA-CNN performs well with valid architectures and a comparison with other methods demonstrates its capability and efficiency.