GAGAN: Enhancing Image Generation Through Hybrid Optimization of Genetic Algorithms and Deep Convolutional Generative Adversarial Networks
Despoina Konstantopoulou, Paraskevi Th. Zacharia, Michail G. Papoutsidakis, Helen Catherine Leligou, Charalampos Z. Patrikakis · Algorithms · 2024
Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) are highly effective for generating realistic images, yet their training can be unstable due to challenges such as mode collapse and oscillatory convergence. In this paper, we propose a novel hybrid optimization method that integrates Genetic Algorithms (GAs) to improve the training process of Deep Convolutional GANs (DCGANs). Specifically, GAs are used to evolve the discriminator’s weights, complementing the gradient-based learning typically employed in GANs. The proposed GAGAN model is trained on the CelebA dataset, using 2000 images, to generate 128 × 128 images, with the generator learning to produce realistic faces from random latent vectors. The discriminator, which classifies images as real or fake, is optimized not only through standard backpropagation, but also through a GA framework that evolves its weights via crossover, mutation, and selection processes. This hybrid method aims to enhance convergence stability and boost image quality by balancing local search from gradient-based methods with the global search capabilities of GAs. Experiments show that the proposed approach reduces generator loss and improves image fidelity, demonstrating that evolutionary algorithms can effectively complement deep learning techniques. This work opens new avenues for optimizing GAN training and enhancing performance in generative models.