Evolutionary computation: the next major transition of artificial intelligence?

Artificial intelligence (AI), a broad field that deals with the ongoing pursuit to render machines capable of performing intelligent tasks, has taken the academic and industrial worlds by storm in a breathtakingly short time span. These days, when you engage in the daily surf of your favorite news website, some mention of AI will probably ensue. Machine learning, currently the most prominent subfield of AI, focuses on algorithms that learn from data, with deep learning--employing artificial neural networks with several hidden layers--being the jewel in the crown. From playing Go to processing radiological images, machine learning's success and breadth of scope is undeniable. Yet we mustn't forget that the parent field of AI has birthed many other offspring.