Kenneth Owen Stanley is an artificial intelligence researcher, author, and former professor of computer science at the University of Central Florida known for creating the Neuroevolution of augmenting topologies (NEAT) algorithm.
[1] While a professor at the University of Central Florida, he was the director of the Evolutionary Complexity Research Group (EPlex)[2] which led the development of Galactic Arms Race.
He received his PhD from the University of Texas at Austin under Risto Miikkulainen in 2004 for his work developing the Neuroevolution of augmenting topologies (NEAT) algorithm.
This led him to develop what he calls the steppingstone principle that, "Instead of hard-coding the rules of reasoning, or having computers learn to score highly on specific performance metrics ... we must let a population of solutions blossom.
Inspired by his work with PicBreeder and other research, they discuss how intentionally pursuing objectives can limit your success at achieving them, both for people and AI.
[17] He left both Uber AI Labs and the University of Central Florida in 2020 to lead the Open-Endedness team at OpenAI as a Research Science Manager.