Agents, Bodies, Constraints, Dynamics, and Evolution

The theme of this article is the dynamics of evolution of agents. That theme is applied to the evolution of constraint satisfaction, of agents themselves, of our models of agents, of artificial intelligence, and, finally, of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI). The overall thesis is that constraint satisfaction is central to proactive and responsive intelligent behavior. I think that everyone who serves begins with great trepidation but leaves with a sense of satisfaction. One of the sources of satisfaction was the opportunity to give the presidential address at AAAI-07 in Vancouver, my hometown.