Efficiency search: application of nature-inspired algorithms in artificial intelligence forecasting models

Abstract

This study reviews how nature-inspired optimization algorithms (NIOAs) have been applied to artificial intelligence-based demand forecasting, using preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) and clustering analysis to examine 36 selected articles. The findings reveal that NIOAs, particularly genetic algorithms and swarm intelligence methods, including their hybrids, have been frequently applied to long short-term memory (LSTM) and other backpropagation neural network models (BPNN). A key insight is the differentiated application of NIOAs depending on network depth: In shallow networks, they have been effectively used to optimize trainable parameters, whereas in deep networks, their role has focused primarily on hyperparameter optimization due to the prohibitive dimensionality of trainable weights. In all studies, NIOA-optimized models consistently outperform conventional baselines based on backpropagation. However, persistent challenges such as excessive execution times and slow convergence have led to the development of more efficient hybrid strategies and adaptive mechanisms for automated exploration-exploitation control. By mapping explored and unexplored pathways, summarizing key outcomes and techniques, and identifying promising methodologies, this review offers a practical foundation to guide future experiments and implementations involving NIOA-based optimization strategies in neural network models. As a conceptual contribution, it also proposes an innovative use of multispace optimization to address one of the most critical challenges identified: the optimization of trainable parameters in deep neural networks.