So, What's AI Research, Anyways?

Hi everyone, I am Priyang Rathod. I am a PhD student at UMBC, working with Marie desJardins. I have been meaning to blog since the day of my arrival here, but could not, because I am staying at the student housing at Duquesne University :(.

On the opening day of ASAMAS, Gal Kaminka of Bar Ilan University gave an Introduction to Agents and Multiagent Systems. At the beginning of his speech, he mentioned an incident when his paper was rejected at an Agents conference because one of the reviewers thought that the research presented was not related to Agents. Gal was quite annoyed about that for a couple of weeks. That's quite expected; anyone would be annoyed if a peer-reviewer decides that you are not doing what you think you are doing. But then later Gal also talked about meeting a researcher at Bar Ilan who makes the best batteries and how according to him the battery maker was also a robotics researcher.

That got me thinking: Where is the line between AI Research and Non-AI Research? Does Machine Vision or Robotic Arm Design count as AI research?? Well, I think many would say so. But then what about the batteries and motors used in robots?? Is that AI research? If it is, then what about the chemicals used in batteries, which can be used in a robot? Is THAT AI research? How far do we go? Where do we draw the line?