The earliest paper on the application of genetic algorithm to image matching is the paper "Genetic Algorithm in Search, Optimization and Machine Learning" published by American scientist David Goldberg in 1988, which puts forward a method of image matching using genetic algorithm. This method mainly uses genetic algorithm to encode image features, and optimizes different image features through crossover and mutation of genetic algorithm, thus achieving the purpose of image matching.

The publication of this paper marks the first application of genetic algorithm in the field of image processing, and lays the foundation for subsequent related research. At the same time, this paper also shows the potential and superiority of genetic algorithm in solving complex optimization problems, which has become a pioneering work in the application field of modern genetic algorithm.