Artificial intelligence has reached a critical turning point in its evolution, according to a new report by an international panel of experts assessing the state of the field. Substantial advances in language processing, computer vision and pattern recognition mean that AI is touching people's lives on a daily basis -- from helping people to choose a movie to aiding in medical diagnoses. With that success, however, comes a renewed urgency to understand and mitigate the risks and downsides of AI-driven systems, such as algorithmic discrimination or use of AI for deliberate deception. Computer scientists must work with experts in the social sciences and law to assure that the pitfalls of AI are minimized. Those conclusions are from a report titled "Gathering Strength, Gathering Storms: The One Hundred Year Study on Artificial Intelligence (AI100) 2021 Study Panel Report," which was compiled by a panel of experts from computer science, public policy, psychology, sociology and other disciplines.

Reproduced under a CC BY-ND 4.0 licence. Today, the One Hundred Year Study on Artificial Intelligence (AI100) 2021 Study Panel Report has been released. The mission of AI100 is to launch a study every five years, over the course of a century, to better track and anticipate how artificial intelligence propagates through society, and how it shapes different aspects of our lives. The first report was published in 2016, and, like that inaugural document, the 2021 edition has been written by a team of AI experts, all with much experience in the field. The report aims to address four audiences: the general public, industry, government, and AI researchers. It is structured as a collection of responses by the 2021 Study Panel to 12 standing questions and two workshop questions posed by the AI100 Standing Committee.

The world is now at a crucial point in technology evolution. The future depends on its deployment across all industries today, including in higher education. Artificial Intelligence-based technologies are thought to promote rather than hinder democratic values including freedom, equality, and transparency. AI-based technologies can become a tool to promote equity and personalized learning. For the past 20 years, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has made some advances in higher education, but not enough.

The mission of AI100 is to launch a study every five years, over the course of a century, to better track and anticipate how artificial intelligence propagates through society, and how it shapes different aspects of our lives. This IJCAI session brought together some of the people involved in the AI100 initiative to discuss their efforts and the direction of the project. The goals of the AI100 are "to support a longitudinal study of AI advances on people and society, centering on periodic studies of developments, trends, futures, and potential disruptions associated with the developments in machine intelligence, and formulating assessments, recommendations and guidance on proactive efforts". Working on the AI100 project are a standing committee and a study panel. The first study panel report, released in 2016, can be read in full here.

Compared to other countries, the USA has been relatively slow to develop a national strategy pertaining specifically to Artificial Intelligence. However that has not slowed down the rate of progress in American academia and industry that has led to many noteworthy AI technical advances over the past several years, both in fundamental algorithms and in practical applications. This high rate of AI-related technological progress shows no sign of slowing down. Meanwhile, the federal government has recently become more proactive in its organization of a national strategy and providing guidance and possibly new resources for AI development. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing rapidly in all ways.

In September 2016, Stanford's "One Hundred Year Study on Artificial Intelligence" project (AI100) issued the first report of its planned long-term periodic assessment of artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on society. The report, entitled "Artificial Intelligence and Life in 2030," examines eight domains of typical urban settings on which AI is likely to have impact over the coming years: transportation, home and service robots, healthcare, education, public safety and security, low-resource communities, employment and workplace, and entertainment. It aims to provide the general public with a scientifically and technologically accurate portrayal of the current state of AI and its potential and to help guide decisions in industry and governments, as well as to inform research and development in the field. This article by the chair of the 2016 Study Panel and the inaugural chair of the AI100 Standing Committee describes the origins of this ambitious longitudinal study, discusses the framing of the inaugural report, and presents the report's main findings. It concludes with a brief description of the AI100 project's ongoing efforts and planned next steps.

Would you like funding to convene an international community of AI researchers and practitioners exploring AI's impact in the world? The One Hundred Year Study on Artificial Intelligence, or AI100, is a 100-year effort to study and anticipate how the effects of artificial intelligence will ripple through every aspect of how people work, live and play. One Hundred Year Study of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has its roots in a one-year study on Long-term AI Futures that we commissioned during my term of service as president of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) in 2008-2009. Seven researchers will form the first AI100 standing committee. It and subsequent committees will identify the most compelling topics in AI at any given time, and convene a panel of experts to study and report on these issues.

Stanford University has invited leading thinkers from several institutions to begin a 100-year effort to study and anticipate how the effects of artificial intelligence will ripple through every aspect of how people work, live and play. This effort, called the One Hundred Year Study on Artificial Intelligence, or AI100, is the brainchild of computer scientist and Stanford alumnus Eric Horvitz who, among other credits, is a former president of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence. In that capacity Horvitz convened a conference in 2009 at which top researchers considered advances in artificial intelligence and its influences on people and society, a discussion that illuminated the need for continuing study of AI's long-term implications. Now, together with Russ Altman, a professor of bioengineering and computer science at Stanford, Horvitz has formed a committee that will select a panel to begin a series of periodic studies on how AI will affect automation, national security, psychology, ethics, law, privacy, democracy and other issues. "Artificial intelligence is one of the most profound undertakings in science, and one that will affect every aspect of human life," said Stanford President John Hennessy, who helped initiate the project.

If you asked the average person what they know about artificial intelligence (AI), they would probably launch into stories about intelligent computers taking over the world and rebellious robots running amok. While the misconception the movies have created may be wildly wide of the mark, AI is an area of technological development having a massive impact in all corners of our lives for generations to come. That's why Stanford University has launched a long-term project to study the impact of AI on society. A study that's not necessarily going to offer solutions, but will promote a dialogue about AI to guide us through the ethical, legal, and technological challenges machine intelligence might bring. I think that's a pretty cool undertaking.

The One Hundred Year Study on Artificial Intelligence, or AI100, is a 100-year effort to study and anticipate how the effects of artificial intelligence will ripple through every aspect of how people work, live and play. One Hundred Year Study of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has its roots in a one-year study on Long-term AI Futures that we commissioned during my term of service as president of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) in 2008-2009. Seven researchers will form the first AI100 standing committee. It and subsequent committees will identify the most compelling topics in AI at any given time, and convene a panel of experts to study and report on these issues.