Do We Need A Theory of AI?

What would a theory of artificial intelligence look like, and how might it be achieved? When designing a new engine or airplane wing, engineers can apply theories that have withstood years of scientific scrutiny, such as the Laws of Thermodynamics or Newton's Laws of Motion. To what theories --if any --can artificial intelligence (AI) researchers and technology pioneers turn when designing neural networks or algorithms? We asked experts from the fields of computer science, theoretical physics, and philosophy for their insights. The Encyclopedia Britannia defines a scientific theory as a "systematic ideational structure of broad scope, conceived by the human imagination, that encompasses a family of empirical (experiential) laws regarding regularities existing in objects and events, both observed and posited."