The theme of this symposium is obviously closely related to the multidisciplinary
aims of SSAISB (The Society for the Study of Artificial Intelligence and
Simulation of Behaviour) whose convention is hosting the symposium.

The theme is also relevant to the goals of AI as science since the earliest days
of AI -- although most of the research funding for AI has come from sources
concerned more with applications than with extending knowledge and understanding.

    GC 5: Architecture of Brain and Mind
    (Integrating high level cognitive processes with brain mechanisms and
    functions in a working robot.)

In 2002 The UKCRC (UK Computing Research Committee) initiated discussions of
and proposals for work on grand challenges for computing research.

GC5 was one of the challenges that emerged from that initiative. This symposium
is directly relevant, as were previous symposia, tutorials, and workshops
organised by proposers of this symposium.

Information about the UKCRC Grand Challenges initiative is available here:
http://www.ukcrc.org.uk/grand_challenges/
    There will be a UKCRC-organised Grand Challenges event in Edinburgh
    next year on April 16 2010, shortly after this symposium. So it may be
    appropriate for a report from this symposium to be presented there.

Relevance to the EU cognitive systems initiative

    See http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ict/cognition/home_en.html

Precursors to this symposium

    As far as we know this is the first workshop or conference to be explicitly
    concerned only or primarily with inspiration from AI for research in natural
    cognition.

    However there have been several closely related previous events, including:

        "HOW TO DESIGN A FUNCTIONING MIND"
        A two day symposium held at AISB 2000, Birmingham UK
        This led to publication of a book edited by Darryl Davis:
            Visions of Mind: Architectures for Cognition and Affect

        IJCAI 2005, Edinburgh two day tutorial
        REPRESENTATION AND LEARNING IN ROBOTS AND ANIMALS
        (Funded by BT, IBM, and others)

        AISB 2006, Bristol, two day symposium
        GC5: Architecture of Brain and Mind:
                Integrating high level cognitive processes with brain
                mechanisms and functions in a working robot
        (Funded by euCognition)

        Workshop on Cognitive Robotics, Intelligence and Control (COGRIC)
        Windsor August 2006
        (Funded by NSF and EPSRC)

        International Workshop on Natural and Artificial Cognition (WONAC)
        Oxford University, June 2007
        (Funded by EU+NSF)

        CoSy Meeting of Minds Workshop, Paris, September 2007
        Meeting of Minds in Action: Natural and Artificial
        (Funded by the CoSy Cognitive Systems Robotic Project EU-funded)

    And others, including various euCognition workshops.

    The symposium organisers have close links with the EU-Funded
    Cognitive Robotics project: CogX. Its project leader, Jeremy Wyatt,
    has endorsed this proposal:
        Cognitive Systems that Self-Understand and Self-Extend

    Several of the presentations, including plenary presentations at CogSci 2009
    in Amsterdam (29th July to 1st Aug 2009) were very relevant to the theme
    of this symposium.

Last updated: 2 Nov 2009;10 Dec 2009
Installed: 6 Aug 2009
Maintained by Aaron Sloman
School of Computer Science
The University of Birmingham