Genetic Programming and Evolvable Machines (GPEM) published its inaugural volume in 2000, with four issues covering a range of topics, from applications in electronics to theoretical analyses. GPEM’s birth was one of several important events in a time of change and new beginnings in the field. The first GECCO was only a year earlier (GPEM’s issue 3 contained a short summary [1]), and the first EvoStar event [2, 3], had been just the year before that. The last few years of the 1990’s saw a dozen or so PhD dissertations in genetic programming and related fields, considerably more than in all of the previous 2/3rds of the decade.1 The articles in the first volume have the feel of a new field finding its way; researchers trying out new ideas and engaging in self-discovery. This was consequential work, however, with those first dozen articles collectively receiving over 1500 citations in the following two decades.2 In the subsequent 20 years the field has grown and the ideas have spread (see, e.g., Fig. 1). The work in this 20th anniversary issue, on the other hand, feels less like a precocious teenager and more broadly developed, rich in both its breadth and depth. There are thoughtful reflections on our history, and mature considerations of the future. The application domains covered here are wonderfully varied, a realization of the promise in those early issues, using techniques and ideas not yet available when the first copies of GPEM arrived in offices, labs, and libraries. Perhaps one of the strongest signs of the field’s health is the number of people using things like genetic programming as “standard” tools to aid them in getting their work done, as illustrated in several articles in this special issue.

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GP+EM 20 周年社论

Genetic Programming and Evolvable Machines (GPEM) 于 2000 年出版了第一卷，共有四期，涵盖了从电子应用到理论分析的一系列主题。GPEM 的诞生是该领域变革和新开端时期的几个重要事件之一。第一次 GECCO 仅在一年前（GPEM 的第 3 期包含简短摘要 [1]），而第一次 EvoStar 活动 [2, 3] 就在那年之前。1990 年代的最后几年，在遗传编程和相关领域发表了十多篇博士论文，远远超过 10 年前 2/3 年的所有论文。 1 第一卷中的文章有一种新领域的感觉找到自己的路；研究人员尝试新想法并进行自我发现。然而，这是一项重要的工作，在接下来的 20 年中，最初的 12 篇文章总共被引用了 1500 多次。2 在随后的 20 年中，该领域不断发展，思想也得到了传播（例如，参见图 1）。另一方面，这本 20 周年刊的作品感觉不像是一个早熟的少年，而是更广泛的发展，其广度和深度都很丰富。有对我们历史的深思熟虑，对未来的成熟考虑。此处涵盖的应用领域千差万别，实现了那些早期问题中的承诺，使用的技术和想法在 GPEM 的第一个副本到达办公室、实验室和图书馆时尚不可用。也许该领域健康的最强烈迹象之一是使用基因编程等作为“标准”工具来帮助他们完成工作的人数，