An expansion operator for interactive evolution

We demonstrate how interactive evolution can be applied to the extrapolation and growth of graphical models. In addition to the mutation and recombination operator for interactive evolution, we introduce a new operator termed expansion and show it to play a significant role in interactive evolution. The expansion operator predicts new future models on the basis of time series analyses of evolutionary processes. We demonstrate the application of this operator in the context of interactive evolution to predict or extrapolate new graphical models. The primary value of this operator is that it provides the user with a tool for exploring a design space that employs the general evolutionary constraint of incremental change according to a fitness value. Such an operator might, therefore, also be applicable to research on environmental change, biological development and growth, and engineering construction projects. The utility of the expansion operator suggests that it will open up new areas for further research in the evolutionary variation process.