What About AI?

I predict that artificial intelligence will enter the mainstream so slowly that one day we will ask, "When did this get here?" There will not be one product or one robot that represents everything AI has to offer. Although a truly conscious machine may someday be developed and this is debatable it will certainly not be any time soon.

I am optimistic that many of the limitations that have hindered the field of AI and computing will continue to fall. Limitations will be removed through advances in both hardware and software. The average desktop today can outperform the largest supercomputer of ten years ago. The trend toward improvement will continue. Hardware limitations will become less of a problem as more and more computers are networked together. Every computer in a network can absorb a little bit of the processing needs so that all the computers together function as a supercomputer.

Software will advance in the same way that competition among businesses escalates. To meet global and local business needs, software developers will need to be creative in the ways they approach solutions.

American Association for Artificial Intelligence

The American Association for Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing awareness of the technologies surrounding artificial intelligence. Its Web site (www.aaai.org) contains links to AI-related topics and is a good resource for anyone who wants to know more about the field.

The association has more than six thousand members and publishes a quarterly named AI Magazine. This publication contains information on some of the latest research efforts in the field.

The AAAI hosts annual conferences that bring together leading researchers in the field. The National Conference of Artificial Intelligence and the Innovative Applications of AI Conference cover a wide variety of topics, ranging from knowledge-based reasoning to robot exhibitions. The association also hosts fall and spring symposiums that offer a workshop-like setting for smaller groups of invited participants.

The Web site contains an "AI in the News" Web page (www.aaai.org/AITopics/html/current.html) that features links to current AI-based articles. The headlines are sorted and grouped by date and cover virtually every area of AI from beginning to expert level.

The Web site also features a resources page which provides general information about AI along with a calendar of AI-related events and links to AI-related organizations (www.aaai.org/Resources/resources.html). This is a good resource for readers who want to get up to speed on AI-related technologies.