This a bit of a false dichotomy: genetic algorithms need not forego of directed or local search (for example, memetic and hybrid algorithms mix gradient search

This a bit of a false dichotomy: genetic algorithms need not forego of directed or local search (for example, memetic and hybrid algorithms mix gradient search with populations). Also, you have to keep in mind, it is often very hard to frame problems in a way that makes linear regression or gradient descent practical.