http://www.bcs-sges.org/es2002/miprize/
Organisers
Prof. Max Bramer (for British Computer Society Specialist Group on Artificial
Intelligence, SGAI) &
Dr. John L. Gordon (for the Applied Knowledge Research Institute, AKRI)
in association with the Electrolux group. 
Prize
A permanent trophy awarded for one year plus a £1,000 cash prize sponsored
by Electrolux.
Date and Venue
The competition will be held on Wednesday December 11th 2002 in Peterhouse
College, Cambridge, UK during the annual SGAI (formerly SGES) conference ES2002.
The conference website is at http://www.bcs-sges.org/es2002.
Entry Fee
There is no entry fee. Conference registration is not required.
Eligibility
The competition is open to all. A maximum of 5 entries will be presented. To control
numbers, these will be selected by the organisers.
Background
During the after dinner talk at ES2000, Rick
Magaldi from British Airways discussed the progress of Machine Intelligence
in terms of the progress of human flight. Flight has been mastered in a way
not yet paralleled by the emergence of machine intelligence. At one point Rick
discussed one of the significant developments in the desire to fly as being
when learned people started to confidently but usually disastrously, throw themselves
off buildings. The consensus at ES2000 was that within AI, we have not really
got to the stage where we are throwing ourselves off buildings. This is about
to change. The SGAI (with AKRI) have decided to give people an opportunity to
hurl themselves into the void, risking public ridicule and career stagnation
to show what they have really achieved in the development of Machine Intelligence.
This competition will put on show real systems working in real time. It is hoped
that the competition and the competitors, over several years, will provide a
new interest and visible improvements in the development of machine intelligence.
The competition will rely on people being open about developments, no matter
how small these may appear. It will also serve as an opportunity to see what
others can achieve and could prove a valuable source of ideas.
Format
- The prize will be awarded on the basis of a 10-15 minute live demonstration
(not a paper, not a technical description).
- The demonstration can be of either software (e.g. a question-answering system
or a speech recognition system) or hardware (e.g. a mobile robot).
- Equipment may be used either standalone or in conjunction with telephone,
satellite link, Internet link etc. as competitors prefer.
- The organisers will provide only a room with a PC plus projector and an
Internet link.
- Competitors may provide any other equipment they require, at their own expense.
The only restriction is that the demonstration has to be given in the specified
location.
- All registered delegates at the conference will be eligible to vote for
the winning entry in a secret ballot.
- The prize will be awarded to the demonstration that in the opinion of the
voters best demonstrates ‘progress towards an intelligent machine’.
Prize Presentation
The prize winner will be invited to attend the conference dinner as our guest.
The prize will be awarded during the dinner.
Rules
- Entries must reflect genuine progress towards machine intelligence.
- Entries must be demonstrated live at the conference.
- Demonstrations may be physical systems brought to the conference or demonstrations
over a live link to the conference. The responsibility for maintaining the
link will be with the demonstrator.
- Presentations may be preceded by a short introduction.
- Presenters will not be allowed to disclose the AI or other technology used
in the system but will be allowed to state what function or activity the system
will perform during the demonstration.
- Demonstrations must be carried out on a floor area no larger than 3m x 4m
(this will probably be a stage area at the conference).
- Commercial products are acceptable as entries as long as the demonstrators
own the IPR to the system or have the permission of the owners to demonstrate
it within the competition context.
- A winning entry may not be entered in an unaltered state, for the same competition
in later years.
- Entries will be judged by the conference delegates.
- Presenters are responsible for the security and safety of their demonstrations.
Conference organisers will however, try to assist in the provision of storage
and set up areas for demonstrations.
- The SGAI and AKRI reserve the right to make changes to these rules.
Closing Date for Entries
October 31st 2002 (Early notification of an intention to enter would
be welcomed.)
Entry Form
You can enter online at http://www.akri.org/ai/macintent.htm
Further Information
Prof. Max Bramer (Chairman, SGAI) email: max.bramer@port.ac.uk
Dr. John L. Gordon (Director, AKRI) email: john@akri.org
