13th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Engineering

Citation

Savage, K. (1998), "13th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Engineering", Kybernetes, Vol. 27 No. 9. https://doi.org/10.1108/k.1998.06727iab.005

13th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Engineering

AIENG 98, Galway, IrelandThe 13th International Conference on Applications of Artificial Intelligence Engineering recently took place in Galway, Ireland under the co-sponsorship of the National University of Ireland, Galway and the Wessex Institute of Technology.

Dr Robert Adey (WIT) opened the conference and reflected on the changes that have taken place in the field of AI since the first conference in Southampton in 1986. From the initial surge of interest in expert systems, the collapse in research funding due to the initial over-expectation of what AI could deliver, to the recognition of the real value and role of AI. The conference has tracked the progress.

Today we have many powerful technologies ranging from expert systems, fuzzy systems, neural networks etc. and they are having major industrial impact. For example, on-board diagnostic via expert systems in automobiles are expected to become the norm.

The conference was welcomed to Galway by the president of the University, Prof. Patrick Fottrell, who explained the university systems in Ireland and the importance of the links the University has with the increasingly high technology industry in Galway.

Dr Paul Nolan (University of Galway) introduced the technical programme and explained that sessions would be held on:

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  Fault diagnosis.

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  Process control.

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  Design.

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  Manufacturing.

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  AI tools.

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  Civil and environmental engineering.

Following the first day sessions an informal reception was held in Galway City where the delegates were introduced to many of the excellent local beers and drinks. The setting was unusual in that the "pub" was a converted convent where much of the fine decoration is still displayed.

The second day started with a panel discussion chaired by Paul Nolan on AI and the information society. The panel consisted of Dr Michael Negnevitsky, Peter Corcoran and Michael Madden.

A lively discussion followed with many contributions from the conference participants.

The conference dinner was held at Glenlo Abbey where the after-dinner entertainment was split between Prof. Vladimir Vittikh's excellent piano playing and the semi-finals of the football World Cup.

The conference technical session was highlighted by a vigorous discussion period between paper authors and the participants.

The meeting was a great success and will be reconvened in the year 2000 in a location and on dates to be announced shortly. If you are interested in receiving further information please contact Carlos Brebbia at the address below.

The Conference Proceedings[1] are available on CD-ROM and in book form, from Computational Mechanics Publications/WIT Press (at the address below). These proceedings cover state-of-the-art applications of artificial intelligence to a wide range of engineering problems. It covers basic research in AI as well as application areas of design, manufacturing, vehicles, robotics, surveillance and others.

Karen Savage

Note

1. 1.

   ISBN: 1853125962 / June 1998, 185 pp., (£195.00/$312) obtainable from: Wessex Institute of Technology, Ashurst Lodge, Ashurst, Southampton SO40 7AA, UK. Tel: 44 (0) 1703 293223; Fax: 44 (0) 1703 292853; E-mail: wit@wessex.ac.uk; Website: http://www.wessex.ac.uk