Briefs

By Bill Steele

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Suppose the computer from the starship Enterprise or the HAL 9000 from "2001, A Space Odyssey" had been scanning intelligence data four years ago. Perhaps it would have made the connection humans missed between terrorists and flight schools. Or suppose such a computer were designing airline flight schedules: You might get home for Christmas a little faster.

These are just some of the possibilities of "artificial intelligence," or AI, which is not really about making computers that talk back but rather about using computers for the things they are good at: dealing with massive amounts of data or problems with a vast number of choices. These are the sorts of problems that are being examined by Cornell University's new Intelligent Information Systems Institute, launched this year with a $5 million, five-year grant from the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). In keeping with university policy, none of the research will be classified.

Here is the full story: New Cornell institute will apply artificial intelligence to decision making and data searches.