“…Better statistical values of objective function in terms of mean, SD , best, worst, and median values for the AVR and DC motor speed control systems were achieved by the proposed ISMA. The efficacy of the proposed approach for the DC motor system was compared to other available and effective approaches of manta ray foraging optimization (Ekinci et al, 2021b), chaotic atom search optimization algorithm (Hekimoğlu, 2019a), atom search optimization (Hekimoğlu, 2019a), stochastic fractal search algorithm (Saini et al, 2020), grey wolf optimization (Agarwal et al, 2018) based FOPID controllers and Lévy flight distribution with Nelder–Mead algorithm (Izci, 2021), Harris–Hawks optimization (Ekinci et al, 2020b), Henry gas solubility optimization (Ekinci et al, 2021a), SMA (Izci and Ekinci, 2021), atom search optimization (Hekimoğlu, 2019a), grey wolf optimization (Agarwal et al, 2018), stochastic fractal search algorithm (Bhatt et al, 2019), kidney-inspired algorithm (Hekimoğlu, 2019b), sine–cosine algorithm (Agarwal et al, 2017), invasive weed optimization algorithm (Khalilpour et al, 2011), and particle swarm optimization (Khalilpour et al, 2011) based PID controllers for further assessment. Likewise, the proposed approach for the AVR control system was compared with other available and effective approaches of hybrid simulated annealing–Manta ray foraging optimization (Micev et al, 2021a), improved whale optimization algorithm (Mokeddem and Mirjalili, 2020), atom search optimization (Ekinci et al, 2020a), whale optimization algorithm (Mosaad et al, 2019), teaching–learning-based optimization (Mosaad et al, 2018), particle swarm optimization (Sahib, 2015) based PIDD 2 controllers and sine–cosine algorithm (Ayas and Sahin, 2021), jaya optimization algorithm (Jumani et al, 2020), Henry gas solubility optimization (Ekinci et al, 2020c), chaotic yellow saddle goatfish algorithm (Micev et al, 2020), salp swarm optimization algorithm (Khan et al, 2019), cuckoo search algorithm (Sikander et al, 2018), simulated annealing algorithm (Lahcene et al, 2017) based FOPID controllers along with equilibrium optimizer (Micev et al, 2021b), genetic algorithm (Elsisi, 2021), cuckoo search algorithm (Sikander and Thakur, 2020…”