Who Can We Thank For the Future of Artificial Intelligence?

The world should express sincere appreciation to allthe next generation of such exploration tools look like
those people who are making artificial intelligenceand how far and to what unknown solar systems
possible in our civilization. Indeed, after studying thismight they travel? How is it that mankind can
subject I think we should thank NASA and specificallyachieve so much in such a short time period?
Ames Research Center SimLabs, Goddard Library andWell let us consider some of the recent giant steps
JPL's Artificial Intelligence Research Group for soforward in robotics and AI Systems. One pivotal
much background information on AI in Space, as theirpoint came after the DARPA Challenge robotic
research, which has helped tremendously in so manyautonomous vehicle competition in Barstow, CA and
projects.the follow-up in Prim, NV. It should be duly noted that
This level of research and the discoveries arethe research being done at Stanford, MIT and
enjoyed by many innovators world wide who workCarnegie Mellon, as well as other top Universities,
hard to make Artificial Intelligent Systems a reality inwhich are constantly updating their material and
our lives. Special mention at NASA should also go toresearch projects has been a wealth of information
the NASA Mars Rover Robotics Team Members,to the scientific community and it has been very
which I happened to meet while they were practicingmuch appreciated.
at Arizona's Meteor Crater and later sitting in theToday our machines travel to Mars and after than
Starbucks for discussions in Flagstaff, AZ.who knows where they might go? Time will tell and
It is amazing how far we have come with roboticsthe technology is forthcoming. What a wonderful
and artificial intelligence and also how far we havetime to be alive to witness all this.
gone with these tools - Mars for instance. What will