An inverse reinforcement learning framework with the Q-learning mechanism for the metaheuristic algorithm

A reward function is learned from the expert examples by inverse reinforcement learning (IRL), which is more reliable than an artificial method. The moth–flame optimization algorithm (MFO), which is based on the navigation mechanism of a moth flying at night, has been extensively employed to address the complex optimization problem. An inverse reinforcement learning framework with the Q-learning mechanism (IRLMFO) is designed to strengthen the performance of the MFO algorithm in a large-scale real-parameter optimization problem. The right strategy is chosen by the Q-learning mechanism, using historical data provided by the relevant approach in the strategy pool, which stores strategies that include diverse functions. The competition mechanism is designed to strengthen the exploitation capability of the IRLMFO algorithm. The performance of the IRLMFO is verified on the benchmark test suite in CEC 2017. Experimental results illustrate that the IRLMFO outperforms state-of-the-art algorithms.