An open-source framework for multimodal artificial intelligence
Presented by Adrian Hopgood, University of Portsmouth
A wide range of techniques has emerged from the field of AI including neural networks, deep learning, rules, frames, model-based reasoning, case-based reasoning, Bayesian updating, fuzzy logic, multiagent systems, swarm intelligence, and genetic algorithms. They are all ingenious and useful in narrow contexts. It will be argued in this presentation that a truly intelligent system needs to draw on a variety of these approaches within a hybrid system. An open-source multiagent software framework called DARBS (Distributed Algorithmic and Rule-based Blackboard System) is proposed for this purpose. Several practical examples will be presented, ranging from image interpretation to the control of specialised manufacturing processes.
Adrian Hopgood is Professor of Intelligent Systems at the University of Portsmouth, where he is Director of Future & Emerging Technologies and of the South Coast Centre of Excellence in Satellite Applications. He is a Chartered Engineer, Fellow of the BCS (the Chartered Institute for IT), and a committee member for the BCS Specialist Group on Artificial Intelligence. He has worked at the level of Dean and Pro Vice-Chancellor in four universities in the UK and overseas, and has enjoyed scientific roles with Systems Designers PLC and the Telstra Research Laboratories in Australia. His main research interests are in AI and its practical applications. He has supervised 19 PhD projects to completion and published more than 100 research articles. His text book “Intelligent Systems for Engineers and Scientists: A Practical Guide to Artificial Intelligence” is ranked as a bestseller and its fourth edition is due in December 2021.