Personal
In Memoriam: Arthur Samuel: Pioneer in Machine Learning
McCarthy, John, Feigenbaum, Edward A.
From 1949 through the late required to have his research more didn't finish 1960s, he did the best work in making vigorously followed up on. He was the computers learn from their experience. Programs for playing games often and what would be required to In 1949, Samuel joined IBM's fill the role in artificial intelligence reach human-level intelligence. Poughkeepsie Laboratory, where he research that the fruit fly Drosophila Samuel's papers on machine learning worked on IBM's first stored program plays in genetics. Drosophilae are are still worth studying.
Letters to the Editor
Thus far, I believe, describing various approximately 120 copies have been limitations of QSIM. At the risk of distributed. The QSIM program is a being scolded again for "employing research tool, not a product, so any universal truths and unarguable commercial rights are retained, and I facts" in support of my position, I cannot warrant that it is free of bugs. Hall examination of the limitations of University of Texas at Austin one's own work is an invaluable Austin, Texas 78712 guide to further research. Akman observes, correctly, that References QSIM is a purely mathematical formalism for expressing qualitative differential Crawford, J.M., Farquhar, A., and Kuipers, 8. 1590 QPC: A Compiler from equation models of the Phvsical Models into Qualitative Differential world, and not a physical modeling Equations In Pr&eedings of the Thank you for publishing our reply Akman's letter refers to his difficulties to Prof. Kuipers in the last issue.
No Reliance Can Be Placed on Appearance: A Response to Kuipers (Letter to the Editor)
In a letter to the editor (AI Magazine, Winter 1989), Benjamin Kuipers criticizes various points made in an earlier paper of ours (Akman and ten Hagen 1989). First, a side (nonetheless important) remark: Although Kuipers asserts that he distributes QSIM to interested researchers, our experience has been otherwise. Akman has tried twice to obtain QSIM, without success. Although Kuipers promised to deliver a copy -- QSIM was under revision at the time of Akman's request (this being as early as winter 1988) -- the program was never sent. So much for the availability of QSIM. . . . Kuipers' letter is full of sweeping generalizations that are so much against the nature of scientific enterprise. We should also add that we are disappointed to see Kuipers employing universal truths and unarguable facts such as ". . . if you build the wrong model, the predictions derived from that model are likely to be wrong" or ". . . guarantees of mathematical validity [are] necessary for any science" as his main cheval de bataille. In the following we'll point out, one by one, the weaknesses of QSIM. Our task will be easy since we shall merely reproduce, almost verbatim, Kuipers' own sentences (Kuipers 1986) and, additionally, Janowski's (1987) views. (The latter reference gives an excellent review of QSIM's disadvantages.) Then, we'll let the reader judge.
Letters to the Editor
Saveland, Jim, Cohen, Paul R., Hart, David M., Howe, Adele E., Kuipers, Benjamin J.
Jim Saveland For a fire in that fuel complex to Research Forester The Phoenix project ("Trial by Fire: grow to the size indicated in the time Associate Editor, AI Application in Understanding the Design Requirements indicated would require a midflame Natural Resource Management for Agents in Complex Environments." Agriculture 3) presents very interesting work in The authors go on to state, "Firefighting Forest Service forest fire simulation. I am especially objects are also accurately Southern Forest Fire Laboratory glad to see recognition that the "realtime, simulated; for example, bulldozers Route 1, Box 182A spatially distributed, multiagent, move at a maximum speed of... 0.5 Dry Branch, GA 31020 dynamic, and unpredictable fire kph when cutting a fireline." In reality, environment" provides an excellent sustained fireline production for Editor: opportunity to explore a variety of AI bulldozers is variable (0.1 - 2.0 kph) issues, such as how complex environments depending on steepness of the slope, Mr. Saveland's letter focuses our constrain the design of intelligent vegetation, and size of the bulldozer. I hope more AI researchers Furthermore, although bulldozers are between accuracy and realism.
Letters to the Editor.
Shortliffe, Edward H., Wilson, Kirk, Brender, David, Cott, Harold Van
These debates end by a culture for accommodating of the medical AI community, I feel I up merely as arguments in which its limited knowledge representations. Those of us in intelligence is). Depending such an extent that the limits of the medical AI have been highly sensitized upon what properties of human and computer system would no longer be to common misunderstandings artificial intelligence are stressed we a representational problem? We also encounter a general lack of of the relationship. Will we need to ascribe pleasure and realistic expectations regarding the The problem is that the models of pain to our computer experts?
Letters to the Editor
Mostow, Jack, Mostow, Janet Tyroler, Pollack, Jordan, Hendler, James A., Slagle, James R., Wick, Michael R., Akman, Varol
Thanks from Jack and Janet Mostow for causing them to meet at AAAI'87 and subsequently marry; a correction to Jordan Pollack's affiliation; a correction to the winter 1988 wording of his report on Workshop on Theoretical Issues in Conceptual Information Processing; an addendum to the Slagle and Wick article in 9, 4: A Method for Evaluating Candidate Expert System Applications, citing Bruno Franck, and comments on Intelligent Computer-Aided Engineering by Kenneth D. Forbus in vol 9, no 3.
Letters to the Editor
Mostow, Jack, Mostow, Janet Tyroler, Pollack, Jordan, Hendler, James A., Slagle, James R., Wick, Michael R., Akman, Varol
Failing to recognize this, significance. All interested readers The medium has misplaced the message understanding intelligence and cognition should be directed to his Ph.D. thesis [that should have appeared in Dr. Franck can be reached is merely irreverent, not irrelevant, per se " As readers can see, quite at the following address Dr. Bruno to AI All I can say is mea Thank you Columbus, OH 43210 culpa, and I hope this letter may help James R Slagle and Michael R. Wick to square things I read with great interest the excellent Information Processing. Engineering" by Ken Forbus in AI manuscript, I somehow managed to Professor Forbus's forceful changed the intended meaning rather Our recent article, entitled "A I personally as published reads: "The goal of these examples of our evaluation process thank him for writing such an eloquent gatherings has been to understand One of these examples involved the Various groups, especially for narrowly defined tasks (expert systems)." Naturally, I would not expect Prof. Forbus to enumerate IIICAD stands for "Intelligent, Integrated, and Interactive CAD" and was CWI is a research AAAI Membership Directory center in pure and applied mathematics An invaluable networking tool, this annual roster of AAAI members and computer science at Amsterdam. You've heard of this AAAI conference-it's the most distinguished Email: paulh@cwi.nl. TR An exciting opportunity to view the latest Al products, services, and CSR8744, CWI, Amsterdam research from industry and the academic community. These are the state-of-the-art research papers presented at the AAAl's A copy of this publication is included in conference Data Description Language for Coding registration; AAAI members not attending the conference may purchase Design Knowledge."