Welcome to Pikaia — a Python package for evolutionary algorithms, genetic programming, and AI-driven optimization. This package is designed for researchers, students, and practitioners interested in evolutionary computation and data analysis.

• 🧬 Evolutionary simulation for data analysis
• 📊 Built-in plotting and visualization
• 🧩 Modular, extensible strategy system
• 📝 Jupyter notebook examples included
• 🔬 Scientific approach, ready for research and teaching

• 🧬 Pikaia
  • ✨ Key Features
  • 📚 Table of Contents
  • 🚀 Installation
  • 🛠️ Local Development
    • Prerequisites
    • Install UV
    • Set up a Local Environment
  • 📝 Quickstart
  • 🧬 Scientific Background
  • 👥 Authors & Contact
  • 📄 License
  • 📚 How to Cite

Install the package using pip:

pip install pikaia

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For local development, we recommend using UV, a fast Python package installer and resolver.

Clone the repository and navigate to the project directory:

git clone https://github.com/danube-ai/pikaia.git
cd pikaia

Install UV using the official installer:

curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

For more installation options, visit the UV installation guide.

1. Create a virtual environment:

   uv venv

2. Sync the dependencies (including development and notebook extras):

   uv sync --extra dev --extra notebooks

3. Activate the virtual environment:

   source .venv/bin/activate

   This installs the package in editable mode along with tools for development (e.g., testing with pytest, linting with ruff) and Jupyter notebooks. The uv sync command ensures reproducible installations using the locked dependencies in uv.lock.

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Here's a minimal example to get you started:

import numpy as np
from pikaia.data import PikaiaPopulation
from pikaia.models import PikaiaModel
from pikaia.schemas import GeneStrategyEnum, OrgStrategyEnum, MixStrategyEnum
from pikaia.strategies import GeneStrategyFactory, OrgStrategyFactory, MixStrategyFactory

# Prepare a small dataset (3 samples, 3 features)
data_3x3_raw = np.array([[300, 10, 2], [600, 5, 2], [1500, 4, 1]])
data_min = data_3x3_raw.min(axis=0)
data_max = data_3x3_raw.max(axis=0)
data_3x3_scaled = (data_3x3_raw - data_min) / (data_max - data_min)
population = PikaiaPopulation(data_3x3_scaled)

# Define strategies
gene_strategies = [
    GeneStrategyFactory.get_strategy(GeneStrategyEnum.DOMINANT),
    GeneStrategyFactory.get_strategy(GeneStrategyEnum.ALTRUISTIC),
]
org_strategies = [
    OrgStrategyFactory.get_strategy(OrgStrategyEnum.BALANCED),
    OrgStrategyFactory.get_strategy(OrgStrategyEnum.SELFISH),
]
gene_mix_strategy = org_mix_strategy = MixStrategyFactory.get_strategy(MixStrategyEnum.FIXED)

# Create and fit the model
model = PikaiaModel(
    population=population,
    gene_strategies=gene_strategies,
    org_strategies=org_strategies,
    gene_mix_strategy=gene_mix_strategy,
    org_mix_strategy=org_mix_strategy,
    max_iter=32,
)
model.fit()

print("Gene fitness history:", model.gene_fitness_history())

• Explore the examples/ directory for Jupyter notebooks, Python scripts, and data files.
• See examples/examples.ipynb for a hands-on walkthrough or run individual example scripts like python examples/example1.py.
• See examples/paper_example.py for the paper example script.

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Genetic AI is a framework for evolutionary simulation and data analysis. In Genetic AI, a data problem is converted into a model of genes and organisms, and evolutionary simulations are run to gain insight into the input data.

• Genetic AI does not use training data to 'learn', but instead autonomously analyzes a problem using evolutionary strategies that capture behaviors and correlations in the data.
• This approach is useful for understanding complex datasets, optimization, and exploring emergent properties in data-driven systems.

Preprint: Genetic AI (arXiv)

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• Philipp Wissgott (philipp@danube.ai)
• Andreas Roschal (andreas@danube.ai)
• Martin Bär (martin@danube.ai)
• Carlos U. Pérez Malla (carlos@danube.ai)

For questions, suggestions, or contributions, please feel free to open an issue.

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This project is licensed under the terms of the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

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If you use Pikaia in your research, please cite our preprint:

@misc{wissgott2025geneticaievolutionarygames,
            title={Genetic AI: Evolutionary Games for ab initio dynamic Multi-Objective Optimization},
            author={Philipp Wissgott},
            year={2025},
            eprint={2501.19113},
            archivePrefix={arXiv},
            primaryClass={cs.NE},
            url={https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.19113},
}

Preprint: Genetic AI (arXiv)

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