AI Magazine - Spring 2018

timing. Ted Senator suggested that we also consider Spring or Fall symposium opportunities.

AAAI ACM SIGAI Dissertation Award Tom Dietterich reported that a draft is ready for a final edit and will have that ready for review for the next meeting, or possibly by email in the interim.

AIHub Tom Dietterich reported that AIHub is still seeking an additional $20,000 in funding before moving forward. They have a couple of pending proposals out and are waiting to hear back on decisions. Gene Freuder inquired whether the test site was ready for viewing, and Dietterich reported that it is not yet ready.

Education Committee / AAAI Webinars / Membership Committee Kiri Wagstaff noted that the Education Committee has not launched its first big initiative yet, but has continued to respond to general inquiries that come in from the public or young students. She reported that the next project will be focused on the subject of AI and Ethics, likely to include a special issue of AI Magazine and potentially a short email to members pointing them to good resources on this subject.

Kambhampati proposed that AAAI begin a series of webinars, which could achieve over time the same influence as the AI Magazine or the potential of AIHub. He noted that this also relates to the idea of moving forward with the AAAI Distinguished Speaker Series that the Membership Committee is spearheading. The previous proposal had been to provide travel funds for speakers to go to various conferences or universities, but providing the opportunity to give a webinar might make more sense and reach more people. Hamilton will make Kapil Patnaik aware of this initiative and ask him to establish the necessary infrastructure as he develops the website.

Gene Freuder inquired about the
general charge of the Education Com-
mittee, and whether they also handle
public engagement. He wondered if we
need another committee to concen-
trate on outreach to the press and gen-
eral public via social media and other
outlets. Tom Dietterich noted that
AIHub will serve an outreach function
once it is launched. He also explained
that the Education Committee was
formed in response to the membership
survey, which demonstrated that
members were looking for more oppor-
tunities for continuing education.
Kambhampati added that the webina-
rs would definitely fill a need in the
public engagement area. He also men-
tioned that pieces of outreach activities
are being handled by several different
committees, such as government, con-
ference outreach, international, mem-
bership, and education. Steve Smith
mentioned that the charge of the Con-
ference Outreach committee might
need to be examined and better
defined.

Blai Bonet reported that the Membership Committee has approved the applications for the Distinguished Speaker Series, but the program needs to establish a web page to implement the conference application function.

He also inquired about whether the
chapters are incorporated and require
an Federal Identification Number (FIN)
if in the US. Hamilton explained that
the AAAI chapters are formed to be
affiliated with AAAI, but AAAI does not
have any fiscal involvement with them
and they are not legally linked to
AAAI. They are essentially interest
groups, and do not have any formal
connection to the corporation. Kiri
Wagstaff wanted to clarify that the
committee has the authority to
approve or deny requests. Kambham-
pati confirmed that this is correct.

International Committee
The chairs could not be present, but
their recent activity has centered
around destinations for the conference
after 2019. As noted earlier, they do
not recommend going to Asia in 2020
or 2021 because IJCAI plans to be there
for two upcoming years. They do think
having a Fall or Spring Symposium in
Asia is worth considering and they will
be sharing more details about that idea
soon. Spaan also mentioned that
Europe (UK) might be a possibility for
the symposia. Kambhampati noted
that other destinations would not be
for additional programs, but for the
relocation of current programs.
Kambhampati thanked everyone for
their time and participation, and
wished them happy holidays. The
meeting was adjourned at 1: 10 PM PST.
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