Terms related to AI · 3.1.15
genetic algorithm
an algorithm that mimics natural selection, breeding and evolving a population of candidate solutions to an optimisation problem
What this term settles
The entry is short because it is meant to travel. It gives genetic algorithm one meaning that can be quoted in a policy without a second interpretation layer.
Who it binds
The entry has no shall in it, and the force of genetic algorithm comes from use: once it appears in a procedure or a supplier term, this is the meaning the reader may rely on.
What to do in your practice
Take the firm's own definition of genetic algorithm, put it beside this one and mark the differences. Each difference is either a deliberate local choice or an inconsistency to fix.
Evidence an auditor or regulator asks for
- A controlled vocabulary entry for genetic algorithm with the citation 3.1.15, an owner and a review date.An auditor can check that genetic algorithm is controlled rather than assumed.
- An AI system inventory field that records the entry for each system, with its owner. The row names genetic algorithm.Shows genetic algorithm in use in the artefact the firm relies on, not only in a glossary.
- A policy or procedure sentence that uses the entry in this sense. The record carries the genetic algorithm entry and its date.The policy borrows the word but not the boundary, so a supplier system and an in-house model are treated as the same kind of thing. The gap is tested against genetic algorithm.
Common gaps this page catches
- genetic algorithm is used in the AI vocabulary a policy reaches for first without a written definition, so two teams can mean different things.
- A supplier uses genetic algorithm with a different boundary and nobody has recorded the difference.
What to prepare before the amendment lands
Take the next policy revision and replace the loose use of genetic algorithm with the entry and its citation. Record the change in the vocabulary change log.
How to test it here
Take one live artefact rather than a template, find the sentence or field where genetic algorithm is used, and put this page beside it. Record the answer, the artefact and the date, because that record is the evidence and a glossary entry on its own is only an intention.
What this page does not claim
The page does not reproduce the standard, certify the firm or predict the wording the amendment will use; it states genetic algorithm at the claim level "definition" and stops where the public record stops.
Common questions
- What does genetic algorithm mean in ISO 22989?
- an algorithm that mimics natural selection, breeding and evolving a population of candidate solutions to an optimisation problem
- What evidence should we keep for 3.1.15?
- A controlled vocabulary entry for genetic algorithm with the citation 3.1.15, an owner and a review date. An AI system inventory field that records the entry for each system, with its owner. The row names genetic algorithm.
- Is genetic algorithm a requirement?
- No: genetic algorithm is a definition or clause of a terminology standard, and it becomes binding only when a firm writes it into a policy, a contract or a procedure, or when another standard incorporates it.
Related units
Source. ISO/IEC 22989:2022, Clause 3.1.15, Terms and definitions. Open the ISO public entry. Retrieved 21 October 2026.
https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/en/#iso:std:iso-iec:22989:ed-1:v1:en
ISO catalogue record 88145, the amendment status, stage and dates. Catalogue record 74296, the base standard.
Claim level: definition. The definition is in the public preview. This page states it in our own words and does not reproduce the text.
Last updated: 2026-10-21 · Markdown version · Check your vocabulary