Abstract: Classical formal approaches to artificial intelligence, based on manipulation of symbolic structures, have a number of appealing properties---they generalize (and fail) in predictable ways, provide interpretable traces of behavior, and can be formally verified or manually audited for correctness. Why are they so rarely used in the modern era? One of the major challenges [...]

Abstract: Shortly after the 1918 pandemic, the word "robot" was coined in a play about mechanical workers organizing a rebellion to defeat their human overlords. A century later, emerging advances in Artificial Intelligence and robotics, fueled by venture capital and governments, are disrupting labor, trade, and political stability. Claims about “superintelligence” and existential threats to [...]

Abstract: When will robots be able to clean my house, dishes, and take care of laundry? While we source labor primarily from automated machines in factories, the penetration of physical robots in our daily lives has been slow. What are the challenges in realizing these intelligent machines capable of human level skill? Isn’t AI advanced [...]