An Introduction to AIAI Artificial Intelligence Applications Institute

An Introduction to AIAI Artificial Intelligence Applications Institute School of Informatics University of Edinburgh 1

AIAI Profile Overview • • Part of Informatics, The University of Edinburgh Commercial arm of AI at Edinburgh • Mission is to bridge research to industry since 1983 • Applied research work • Develop/tailor generic methods, techniques and tools to meet specific industrial application requirements • Key achievements and widespread interaction: • With industry, government agencies and other organisations • Technology transfer: • Contract research projects, Consultancy projects, hands-on workshops, continuing educational/visitor programmes, application development and other tailored corporate support 2

Some Key Achievements • Knowledge-Based Systems for Synthesis Tasks: • • Formation: • a system to lay out all British Telecom Yellow Pages directories and to create a new business area for Pindar Set Ltd for responsive marketing support and catalogue layout systems. Ghost. Writer • multilingual support for aero-engine maintenance procedures with British Aerospace and Dassault Aviation (France). • Innovative AI Applications Award Winner for the Formation system in 1998. • Process and Task Support: • • Knowledge-Based Systems for Analysis Tasks: • • O-Plan and I-X system • planning, command control agents to support non-combatant evacuation operations, US Army military operations in urban terrain, multinational coalition operations, disaster relief, search & rescue, etc. Optimum-AIV • planning system for assembly, integration and test of Ariane IV payloads for the European Space Agency. EUMETSAT • specification of the telecommand system for the European Meteorological Spacecraft Control Centre. RAF Expert Provisioner • a system for the RAF Logistics to assist with procurement of spare parts, • saves £ 30 m per annum for the RAF and is now being deployed by the British Army and Navy. EASE • a system deployed throughout Europe to estimate occupational exposure to hazardous substances for health and safety regulations. Fraud Detection • Case-Based Reasoning has been applied to screen applications for financial products with MCL Software. Enterprise Modelling: • • Enterprise and knowledge modelling and management – US Air Force Operations; Enterprise ontology, KQML agents, workflow tools. 3

Consultancy • Provision of Consultancy through: • advanced technology strategy and feasibility studies, • surveys of technologies, methods and tools, • foresight briefings for senior company members. • Enabling: • transfer of application concepts & high-level knowledge of techniques to staff in organisations (people-to-people skill transfer). • Key attributes to facilitate this: • • senior staff with a wide range of past experience, good breadth of AI knowledge, independence, i. e. not linked to any specific vendors, good connections within international AI community. 4

Application Development • Application development through: • • • proof-of-concept demonstrators, product prototypes, component software solutions, not usually through complete software solutions. Ensuring technology is transferred to endusers so that they: • understand how solutions were derived, • can take the ownership of deploying systems, update and maintain them in the long run, • gain person-to-person knowledge transfer, • get supply of highly trained and application aware support students - and even occasionally staff! 5

Continuing Education • • Short Tailored Training Courses Study Programmes in AI Application • Visitor programme, like a mini-M. Sc. programme • Visiting Scientist • Short term visits from a company or collaborating organisation 6

Affiliateship Programme • • • Flexible work packages: tailored to business requirements that may enhance and evolve over time. Provides continuing education courses and visitorbased “Study Programmes in AI Applications”. Forge interactions between different levels of management and technical personnel. Long term relationships builder. Flexible access to highly skilled staff. Platform for broadening the types of work done within a company, and opportunities to meet other academics. 7