Can an AI Get Into the University of Tokyo?

For the thousands of secondary school students who take Japan's university entrance exams each year, test days are long-dreaded nightmares of jitters and sweaty palms. But the newest test taker can be counted on to keep its cool: AIs don't sweat. At Japan's National Institute of Informatics (NII), in Tokyo, a research team is trying to create an artificial intelligence program that has enough smarts to pass Japan's most rigorous entrance exams. The AI will start by taking the standardized test administered to all secondary school students; once it masters that test, it will move on to the more difficult University of Tokyo exam. "Passing the exam is not really an important research issue, but setting a concrete goal is useful," says Noriko Arai, the team leader and a professor at NII.