Dr. Pham of Computer Science department at the University of California, Irvine

The field Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been a point of fascination to the public, with futuristic prospects that can be both exciting and scary at the same time. The scary side of these futuristic prospects prompted governments to start regulation activities to address anxiety from the population, given the fact that AI products have been proliferating in the market and public media.

Regulations on AI started with identifying what is AI and what should be regulated. Furthermore, the question of the boundary between regulation and innovation must be addressed. This presentation aims to provide an overview of AI that will set the tone for regulating AI while encouraging the innovation to continue to anchor the US economy and provide global competitiveness to the US.

AI is normally considered as a discipline of study (by researchers) with the objective of providing intelligence to computational machines. Within the circle of developers, AI is seen through the available AI technologies (tools and methods) that can be used to develop intelligent systems. To the public, AI is seen through science-fiction movies with autonomous robots functioning independently and with the ability to evolve and gain consciousness.

The presentation will start with a briefing on the history of AI since the very first AI Conference at Darthmouth University in the US in 1956 to present days, showing that the objective of the study has been changing with time. The technology associated with each key period will be explained with respect to basic sciences and mathematics. At present days, some major AI products will be explained in the scope of the definition for “intelligence.”

The presentation will continue with discussion on the US Executive Order on AI, AI Action Plan, and the FAA’s AI Roadmap for Aviation Safety. Technical lessons learned from the efforts are presented as the momentum to move forward to addressing general responsible use of AI products, and international harmonization. Furthermore, public anxiety can also be addressed if the limitations of AI are conveyed properly, along with awareness of government planning and actions on AI, through correct media channels.

Biography:

Trung T. Pham, Ph.D. is the Chief Scientist in AI/ML at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In his current position, he is providing technical advice to the FAA on strategic direction of AI research and AI systems safety assurance in aviation. Previously, he held various positions in AI and robotics in academics (US Air Force Academy, University of Houston, in the US and overseas at the University of Talca in Chile), and in industry (Lockheed, McDonnell Douglas at NASA Johnson Space Center).

Trung is a Senior Member at the IEEE, ISA, and AIAA. Trung obtained his B.S.E.E., M.S., and Ph.D. from Rice University in Houston, Texas. He also had an M.B.A. from the University of Houston – Clear Lake, also in Houston Texas. His full bio is available at: https://www.faa.gov/aircraft/air_cert/step/experts/pham, and his LinkedIn profile can be found at https://www.linkedin.com/in/trung-pham-65038625/