Dual-Individual Genetic Algorithm: A Dual-Individual Approach for Efficient Training of Multi-Layer Neural Networks

Abstract: This paper introduces an enhanced Genetic Algorithm technique, which optimizes neural networks for binary image classification tasks, such as cat vs. non-cat classification. The proposed method employs only two individuals for crossover, represented by two parameter sets: Leader and Follower. The Leader focuses on exploitation, representing the primary optimal solution, while the Follower promotes exploration by preserving diversity and avoiding premature convergence. Leader and Follower are modeled as two phases or roles. The key contributions of this work are threefold: (1) a self-adaptive layer dimension mechanism that eliminates the need for manual tuning of layer architectures; (2) generates two parameter sets, leader and follower parameter sets, with 10 layer architecture configurations (5 for each set), ranked by Pareto dominance and cost post-optimization; and (3) achieved better results compared to gradient-based methods. Experimental results show that the proposed method achieves 99.04% training accuracy and 80% testing accuracy (cost = 0.06) on a three-layer network with architecture [12288, 17, 4, 1], higher performance a gradient-based approach that achieves 98% training accuracy and 80% testing accuracy (cost = 0.092) on a four-layer network with architecture [12288, 20, 7, 5, 1].