The theme this time is the concept interdisciplinary research — often discussed but seldom understood. We start with our Director, Dr. Kristinn R. Thórisson, giving an introduction to this important topic.

Our invited article in this issue is by former Director of ZiFF research institute in Bielefeld, Germany, Dr. Ipke Wachsmuth. Writes Wachsmuth: “Scientific research today is marked by a growing differentiation and specialization in the disciplines. A discipline is characterized by the questions it wants to answer, and the methods it employs to look for such answers. Increased specialization means an inevitable narrowing of focus, which is indeed its main goal. But a narrower focus may also lead to narrow-mindedness.”

Reykjavik University’s Center for Analysis & Design of Intelligent Agents and IIIM ran the Reykjavik AI Festival on the topic of killer robots and the industrial impact of AI. Titled “Terminator at Your Doorstep: How Dangerous is AI?”, the festival brought a lot of visitors, speakers, and presentations from companies in Iceland. Our guests of honor were Professor Dr. Noel Sharkey from the University of Sheffield and ethics specialist Dr. Salvör Nordal from the University of Iceland.