Evolving genetic programming trees in a rule-based learning framework

Rule-based machine learning (RBML) algorithms such as learning classifier systems (LCS) are well suited to classification problems with complex interactions and heterogeneous associations. Alternatively, genetic programming (GP) has a complementary set of strengths and weaknesses best suited to regression problems and homogeneous associations. Both approaches yield largely interpretable solutions. An ideal ML algorithm would have the capacity to adapt and blend representation to best suit the problem at hand. In order to combine the strengths of these respective algorithm representations, a framework allowing coexistence and co-evolution of trees and rules is needed. In this work, we lay the empirical groundwork for such a framework by demonstrating the capability of GP trees to be evolved within an LCS-algorithm framework with comparable performance to a set of standard GP frameworks. We discuss how these results support the feasibility of a GP-LCS framework and next-step challenges to be addressed.