gasser@pollux.usc.edu (Les Gasser) (01/16/91)
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PRELIMINARY CALL FOR PARTICIPATION
A EUROCOURSE ON
DISTRIBUTED ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE:
THEORY AND PRAXIS
ONE WEEK INTERNATIONAL SUMMER SCHOOL
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CO-CHAIRS: Nikos Avouris, JRC/Ispra
Les Gasser, Univ. of Southern California
DATES: 1-5 July 1991
VENUE: The European Community Joint Research Centre at Ispra, Italy,
on the side of Lake Maggiore, 70 Km north of Milan and 30 km south of
the Italian-Swiss border.
WHY DISTRIBUTED AI:
Knowledge-based systems made up of collections of knowledge bases or
intelligent agents working together are required for many practical
reasons. Artificial Intelligence (AI) practitioners have become
increasingly interested building and understanding such systems, and
thus interested in concepts such as group interaction, social
organization, and society as metaphors and problem generators for AI.
As a result a new branch of AI, called Distributed Artificial
Intelligence (DAI), has emerged, which is addressing problem solving
and intelligent action from these perspectives. Research in the
Distributed Problem Solving branch of DAI studies how a particular
problem-solving task can be divided among a number of specialist nodes
that exchange knowledge about the problem and the developing solution.
Multiagent systems research is concerned with coordinating intelligent
behaviour among a collection of (possibly pre-existing) autonomous
intelligent agents.
Distributed AI is having wide-ranging impacts in the engineering of AI
systems (cooperating expert systems and knowledge media, distributed
sensing and data fusion, cooperating robots, etc.), cognitive science
(e.g., mental models, social cognition), distributed systems
(reasoning about knowledge and actions in distributed systems,
architectural and language support for DAI, distributed system
behavior), design (collaborative design problem solving, design of
composite systems), human-computer interaction, (task allocation,
intelligent interfaces, dialogue coherence, speech acts), natural
language processing, CSCW (task allocation, intelligent interfaces,
group decision support, dialogue coherence, speech acts), and basic AI
and distributed AI (problem representations, epistemology, joint
concept formation, coordinated reasoning and problem solving,
multiagent planning). DAI also draws from and contributes to other
disciplines, (such as organization theory, sociology, and economics,
to name a few), contributing to the development of theoretical and
methodological foundations and modeling techniques.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND:
This course will include a thorough survey of problems and techniques
in contemporary DAI. We will develop a comprehensive picture of
current knowledge about DAI, in preparation for building DAI systems
or as background for doing advanced research in DAI. A second aim
will be to engage in active construction, modification, discussion and
criticism of individual and/or group DAI projects. The course is
oriented toward AI researchers and practitioners with an active
interest in examining and applying DAI techniques, researchers
working in applications wishing to examine the possibilities of this
techniques in their field, and technology managers tracking leading-edge
technologies for distributed computing and AI.
STRUCTURE OF THE COURSE:
The course will be structured as a week of intensive lectures by
European and worldwide authorities in DAI, combined with discussions
and system explorations, in a workshop-like atmosphere. The course
will involve 2-3 hours of lecture in the mornings, and discussion and
working time in the afternoons, in individual interest or subject area
groups. Students will have access to facilities that they can use
individually or in groups to experiment with DAI systems, and there
will be ample opportunity for intensive discussion and debate.
HOW TO REGISTER:
Early registration is required because there is a limited number of places
available.
For more information contact:
Dr. Nikos Avouris, JRC Ispra, TP 440, I-21020 Ispra, Italy tel:
+39-332-789341/789046 fax: +39-332-789256 e-mail: n_avouris@cen.jrc.it
Dr. Les Gasser, DAI Group, SAL-200, Computer Science Dept., USC, Los
Angeles, CA 90089-0782, USA. tel: +1-213-740-4510 fax: +1-213-740-7285
email: gasser@usc.edu.
or
Eurocourses Secretariat, JRC Ispra, I-21020 Ispra, Italy
tel +39-332-789819 fax +39-332-789839
Or return the following form:
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RETURN TO:
Dr. N. Avouris (for the DAI Course),
JRC Ispra,
TP 440,
I-21020 Ispra, Italy
___Please supply me with information about the "Distributed Artificial
Intelligence: Theory and Praxis" Course of June 1991.
____Please supply me with information about the Eurocourses
programme for 1991
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