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Artificial Intelligence Research in Australia -- A Profile

AI Magazine

Does the United States have a 51st state called Australia? A superficial look at the artificial intelligence (AI) research being done here could give that impression. A look beneath the surface, though, indicates some fundamental differences and reveals a dynamic and rapidly expanding AI community. General awareness of the Australian AI research community has been growing slowly for some time. AI was once considered a bit esoteric -- the domain of an almost lunatic fringe- but the large government -backed programs overseas, as well as an appreciation of the significance of AI products and potential impact on the community, have led to a reassessment of this image and to concerted attempt to discover how Australia is to contribute to the world AI research effort and hoe the country is to benefit from it. What we have seen as result is not an incremental creep of AI awareness in Australia but a quantum leap with significant industry and government support. The first systematic study of the Australian AI effort was undertaken by the Australian Department of Science (DOS) in 1986. The study took as its base the long-running research report Artificial Intelligence in Australia (AIIA), produced by John Debenham (1986). The picture that emerged is interesting. AI researchers are well qualified, undertaking research at the leading edge in their fields, and have significant potential to develop further. The results of this study were published by DOS in the Handbook of Research and Researchers in Artificial Intelligence in Australia (Department of Science1986). This article is based on key findings from the study and on additional information gained through meeting and talking with researchers and research groups.


Review of Artificial Intelligence and Psychiatry

AI Magazine

Hand's book is well written and well researched. The author has taken great care in presenting previous work in detail and has quoted the erlier literature when applicable. Nevertheless, the book fails in two respects.


Viewing the History of Science as Compiled Hindsight

AI Magazine

This article is a written version of an invited talk on artificial intelligence (AI) and the history of science that was presented at the Fifth National Conference on Artificial Intelligence (AAAI-86) in Philadelphia on 13 August 1986. Included is an expanded section on the concept of an abstraction in AI; this section responds to issues that were raised in the discussion which followed the oral presentation. The main point here is that the history of science can be used as a source for constructing abstract theory types to aid in solving recurring problem types. Two theory types that aid in forming hypotheses to solve adaptation problems are discussed: selection theories and instructive theories. Providing cases from which to construct theory types is one way in which to view the history of science as "complied hindsight" and might prove useful to those in AI concerned with scientific knowledge and reasoning.


Review of Heuristics: Intelligent Search Strategies for Computer Problem Solving

AI Magazine

To fully appreciate Professor Pearl's book, begin with a and the numerous techniques for representing knowledge careful reading of the title. It is a book about "..Intelligent-and uncertainty in common use in mainstream AI. ..Strategies.." for the discovery and use of "Heuristics.. " Chapter 5 begins a quantitative performance analysis of to allow computers to solve ".. Search.. ' ' problems. This includes a nice exposition on is a critical component in AI programs (Nilsson 1980, Barr branching processes, although the mathematically unsophisticated and Feigenbaum 1982), and in this sense Pearl's book is a reader may find it difficult. Here Pearl introduces strong contribution to the field of AI. It serves as an excellent probabilistic models to complement probabilistic heuristics. As a book about search, it is thorough, at analysis of search heuristics, and to a probabilistic analysis the state of the art, and contains expositions that will delight of nonadmissible heuristics in ...


OPGEN: The Evolution of an Expert System for Process Planning

AI Magazine

Initial Development Approach In the following eight subsections, we present a brief discussion of methodology for expert system development, selection of problem and tools, knowledge engineering and prototype implementation, operational feasibility, and the actual development of a working prototype of a process planning expert system. Methodology for Expert System Development Expert systems require a software development methodology that differs in some respects from those methodologies used for conventional systems. Most knowledge-based development methodologies used by organizations experienced in building expert systems are similar in that they concentrate on the early (feasibility) stages of a project. Very little has been published on the later stages, which are concerned with expert system delivery, integration, and maintenance. During the development of OPGEN, we incorporated the lessons learned in these early stages and revised our original approach to provide for integration and maintenance. Most expert system development methodologies are a variation on the following theme, which paraphrases Haycs-Roth (1985): (1) expert system technology is determined to be relevant to a product; (2) management provides an opportunity for action; (3) a preliminary business application is assembled; (4) a knowledge engineering consultant verifies the opportunity; (5) a knowledge engineering project team is formed and assesses the knowledge; (6) the knowledge engineering project manager plans the project; (7) the user organization Figure 2 OPGEN bzput Circuit Layout Diagram.


From Guidon to Neomycin and Heracles in Twenty Short Lessons

AI Magazine

I review the research leading from the GUIDON rule-based tutoring system, including the reconfiguration of MYCIN into NEOMYCIN and NEOMYCIN's generalization in the heuristic classification shell, HERACLES. The presentation is organized chronologically around pictures and dialogues that represent conceptual turning points and crystallize the basic ideas. My purpose is to collect the important results in one place, so they can be easily grasped. In the conclusion, I make some observations about our research methodology.


Letters to the Editor

AI Magazine

He then proved that In addition, I noticed that John McCarthy was snapping network representations (such as that of the brain) cannot freely with his camera at the workshop. He may have some possibly exhibit intelligence-tapes, as in Turing Machines, amusing illustrations of the unlikely events rec0rded.l


Recent and Current Artificial Intelligence Research in the Department of Computer Science SUNY at Buffalo

AI Magazine

The interpretation of images of postal mail pieces is The Vision Group the domain of this investigation. Our efforts have included It is becoming increasingly important for vision researchers the development of various operators for visual data processing in diverse fields to interact, and the Vision Group at SUNY and image segmentation. The invocation of these Buffalo was formed to facilitate that interaction Current routines and the interpretation of the information they return membership includes 25 faculty and 25 students from 10 is determined by a control structure that uses a variant departments (computer science, electrical and computer of relaxation combined with a rule-based methodology.


Starting a Knowledge Engineering Project: A Step-By-Step Approach

AI Magazine

One reason is that the requirements-oriented methods and intuitions learned in the development of other types of software do not carry over well to the knowledge engineering task. Another reason is that methodologies for developing expert systems by extracting, representing, and manipulating an expert's knowledge have been slow in coming. At Tektronix, we have been using step-by-step approach to prototyping expert systems for over two years now. This methodology has helped us collect the knowledge necessary to implement several prototype knowledge-based systems, including a troubleshooting assistant for the Tektronix FG-502 function generator and an operator's assistant for a wave solder machine.


Artificial Intelligence Research Capabilities of the Air Force Institute of Technology

AI Magazine

The Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) provides master's degree education to Air Force and Army Officers in various engineering fields It is in a unique position to educate and perform research in the area of applications of artificial intelligence to military problems. Its two AI faculty members are the only military officers with PhD's in Artificial Intelligence. In the past two years, the artificial intelligence Laboratory of AFIT has become a major focal point for AI research and applications within the government. In this article, we describe our on-going applications research in the areas of automated cockpit systems, natural language understanding, maintenance expert systems, expert systems for planning and knowledge based software design.