Computational Intelligence, Beyond Scale

In an age defined by ever-larger models, scale commands attention—but scale alone does not make intelligence. Computational intelligence (CI) gives scale discipline. It reminds us that learning is not just about more data but about learning wisely when data are few; not only about power but about purpose. As I begin my term as Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Computational Intelligence Magazine, I hold this conviction as our compass. CI endures not because it competes with scale but because it teaches scale how to think—how to adapt under uncertainty, decide with transparency, and balance ambition with understanding. This legacy stands on a solid foundation. I am deeply grateful to my predecessors—Professors Gary G. Yen, Kay Chen Tan, Hisao Ishibuchi, and Chuan-Kang Ting—and to the IEEE CIS AdCom for their trust. Under their leadership, CIM has become a flagship publication with global reach and high impact. We inherit not only a reputation but also a mission: to publish rigorous scholarship and to connect the Society’s diverse and dynamic community. Today, we need CI’s wisdom more than ever. Large models have expanded what can be represented, yet the hardest problems remain—learning reliably from limited or shifting data, making transparent choices when objectives conflict, and deploying systems that must be robust, auditable, and resource-aware. These are the very frontiers where CI’s principles—evolutionary search, fuzzy reasoning, learning systems, and hybrid neuro-symbolic approaches—provide foundational anchors. At CIM, our goal is to turn these principles into progress—tangible, testable, and shared. We will highlight AI for Science, where CI accelerates discovery through physics-informed learning, symbolic–neural modeling, surrogate design, and uncertainty-aware control. The new CIM Foresight dialogue will invite diverse voices to imagine what comes next—from evaluation under distribution shift to optimization at the edge. We will showcase real practice—case studies, tutorials, and standards-oriented pieces—accompanied by accessible artifacts for verification and reuse. Our community remains at the heart of this vision. We will amplify young scholars and colleagues from emerging regions, pairing invited work with editorial mentorship to enhance clarity and reach. Our process will embody openness, interdisciplinarity, and long-term thinking—marked by clear scoping, timely decisions, and reviews that are concise, respectful, and actionable. If this era celebrates scale, let ours stand for judgment—the ability to see clearly, decide wisely, and build responsibly. That is the discipline CI brings to intelligence, and the promise CIM is dedicated to fulfilling. — Min Jiang Xiamen University, CHINA