Lighthill report
Encyclopedia
The Lighthill report is the name commonly used for the paper "Artificial Intelligence: A General Survey" by James Lighthill
, published in Artificial Intelligence: a paper symposium in 1973.
Published in 1973, it was compiled by Lighthill for the British Science Research Council as an evaluation of the academic research in the field of Artificial Intelligence
. The report gave a very pessimistic prognosis for many core aspects of research in this field, stating that "in no part of the field have discoveries made so far produced the major impact that was then promised".
It "formed the basis for the decision by the British government to end support for AI
research in all but three universities"—Edinburgh, Sussex and Essex.
While the report was supportive of research into the simulation of neurophysiological and psychological processes, it was "highly critical of basic research
in foundational areas such as robotics
and language processing
".
The report stated that AI researchers had failed to address the issue of combinatorial explosion
when solving problems within real world domains. That is, the report states that AI techniques may work within the scope of small problem domains, but the techniques would not scale up well to solve more realistic problems. The report represents a pessimistic view of AI that began after early excitement in the field.
The Science Research Council's decision to invite the report was partly a reaction to high levels of discord within the University of Edinburgh's
Department of Artificial Intelligence, one of the earliest and biggest centres for AI research in the UK.
James Lighthill
Sir Michael James Lighthill, FRS was a British applied mathematician, known for his pioneering work in the field of aeroacoustics.-Biography:...
, published in Artificial Intelligence: a paper symposium in 1973.
Published in 1973, it was compiled by Lighthill for the British Science Research Council as an evaluation of the academic research in the field of Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
. The report gave a very pessimistic prognosis for many core aspects of research in this field, stating that "in no part of the field have discoveries made so far produced the major impact that was then promised".
It "formed the basis for the decision by the British government to end support for AI
Ai
AI, A.I., Ai, or ai may refer to:- Computers :* Artificial intelligence, a branch of computer science* Ad impression, in online advertising* .ai, the ISO Internet 2-letter country code for Anguilla...
research in all but three universities"—Edinburgh, Sussex and Essex.
While the report was supportive of research into the simulation of neurophysiological and psychological processes, it was "highly critical of basic research
Basic Research
Basic Research is an herbal supplement and cosmetics manufacturer based in Salt Lake City, Utah that distributes products through a large number of subsidiaries. In addition, their products are sold domestically and internationally through a number of high-end retailers. Dennis Gay is the...
in foundational areas such as robotics
Robotics
Robotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots...
and language processing
Language processing
Language processing refers to the way human beings process speech or writing and understand it as language. Most recent theories back the idea that this process is made completely by and inside the brain.- Spoken language :...
".
The report stated that AI researchers had failed to address the issue of combinatorial explosion
Combinatorial explosion
In administration and computing, a combinatorial explosion is the rapidly accelerating increase in lines of communication as organizations are added in a process...
when solving problems within real world domains. That is, the report states that AI techniques may work within the scope of small problem domains, but the techniques would not scale up well to solve more realistic problems. The report represents a pessimistic view of AI that began after early excitement in the field.
The Science Research Council's decision to invite the report was partly a reaction to high levels of discord within the University of Edinburgh's
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
Department of Artificial Intelligence, one of the earliest and biggest centres for AI research in the UK.
External links
- Other Freddy II Robot Resources Includes a link to the 90 minute 1973 "Controversy" debate from the Royal Academy of LighthillJames LighthillSir Michael James Lighthill, FRS was a British applied mathematician, known for his pioneering work in the field of aeroacoustics.-Biography:...
vs. MichieDonald MichieDonald Michie was a British researcher in artificial intelligence. During World War II, Michie worked for the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, contributing to the effort to solve "Tunny," a German teleprinter cipher.-Early life and career:Michie was born in Rangoon, Burma...
, McCarthyJohn McCarthy (computer scientist)John McCarthy was an American computer scientist and cognitive scientist. He coined the term "artificial intelligence" , invented the Lisp programming language and was highly influential in the early development of AI.McCarthy also influenced other areas of computing such as time sharing systems...
and GregoryRichard GregoryRichard Langton Gregory, CBE, MA, D.Sc., FRSE, FRS was a British psychologist and Emeritus Professor of Neuropsychology at the University of Bristol.-Life and career:...
in response to Lighthill's report to the British government.