The Knowledge Level

This is the first presidential address of AAAI, the American Association for Artificial Intelligence. In the grand scheme of history, even the history of artificial intelligence (AI), this is surely a minor event. The field this scientific society represents has been thriving for quite some time. No doubt the society itself will make solid contributions to the health of our field But it is too much to expect a presidential address to have a major impact. So what is the role of the presidential address and what is the significance of the first one? 1 believe its role is to set a tone, to provide an emphasis.