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.
In this issue we cover the benefits and challenges of interdisciplinary research. Interdisciplinary research empowers researchers to have more than one viewpoint on a problem and tackle the questions that remain unanswered in a particular field from new angles bringing scientific disciplines forward.
Dr. Ipke Wachsmuth, professor of Artificial Intelligence and former director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZiF) at Bielefeld University in Germany, shares his experience on interdisciplinary research undertaken at the institute.
Also get acquainted with IIIM’s collaboration model for startups and high-tech companies and hear what our collaborators have to say about us.
CADIA lecture: Embodiment versus Memetics Intelligence: Language, and the Place of Robots in Human Society
Speaker: Joanna Bryson When and where: Friday the 16th of September at 14:00 in room M109
The last few years have seen a growing public awareness of the pervasiveness of artificial intelligence (AI). Yet somehow this awareness has translated into a fear projected into the (near) future rather than an understanding or concern about how the world is already being changed by our technology. Continue reading LANGUAGE, AND THE PLACE OF ROBOTS IN HUMAN SOCIETY→
Today the CoCoMaps project, a collaboration between IIIM and CMLabs, officially lunched! We are very exited to set off on this journey after months of preparation.
The aim of the project is to endow robots with the skills to communicate with humans in real time using natural dialogue.
If successful these improved communicational skills of the robots will enable much more sophisticated human-robot collaborations and open up doors for robots to work alongside humans in human-centric environments – such as factories, hospitals and the entertainment business – in ways not possible before.
For updates on the project progress visit the CoCoMaps site.
Catalyzing innovation and high-technology research in Iceland
