Abstract
This special issue follows the discussions held at the 2024 Edition of The Workshop on the History of Artificial Intelligence (WHAI 2024), celebrated in Santiago de Compostela within the framework of the 27th European Conference on Artificial Intelligence (ECAI 2024). In WHAI, presentations were held about the starting and evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) in several European regions, and about the contribution of European research and researchers to specific paradigms and to the history of AI in general. Following these discussions, this issue includes the extended versions of two papers presented at WHAI, one on how AI originated at the University of Edinburgh and another on the contributions of European researchers to the foundations and applications of model-based reasoning. The special issue is now enriched with a historical perspective of AI in Catalonia, the motivation for the AI community to build and disseminate the timeline of the History of AI in Europe and a proposal for a Collective Memory of Artificial Intelligence, which expands the timeline initiative. All papers are a contribution to The History of AI Timeline, an open project for the future, which also began with WHAI2024 and will be updated and enriched through the discussions of subsequent editions of WHAI.
Keywords
Introduction
This special issue rigorously encapsulates the rich discourse initiated at the 2024 Edition of The Workshop on the History of Artificial Intelligence (WHAI 2024) (WHA, 2024), celebrated in Santiago de Compostela within the framework of the 27th European Conference on Artificial Intelligence (ECAI 2024). Several pivotal presentations delivered at WHAI—addressing the foundations and evolution of AI across numerous European regions and foregrounding the influential contributions of European research and researchers—have now been profoundly expanded. Two newly included papers further deepen the historical insights, offering innovative perspectives that advance the understanding of AI’s legacy.
In the first paper, Chris Williams et al. adopt a historical perspective to describe the early years of AI at the University of Edinburgh, spanning from the 1950s to the mid-1980s. This account highlights research achievements and key figures, emphasises the role of women, and explores early ethical considerations in AI development, anticipating the societal impact of AI.
Also, from a historical perspective, Núria Agell et al. present in the second paper a good example of how regional AI societies in Europe also contribute to the general advancement of AI, by highlighting the role of the Catalan Association for Artificial Intelligence (ACIA) in developing an AI research community in the Catalan-speaking territories and across Europe. A historical review of the most relevant milestones and contributions is presented, emphasising initiatives and activities such as the Congrés Internacional de l’Associació Catalana d’Intelligència Artificial (CCIA) scientific conference, recognition Awards and other activities devoted to promoting AI literacy and to recognising and highlighting the role of Women in AI. Additionally, as a projection into the future, which partially aligns with the approach taken in the fourth paper, the ACIA vision for the evolution of AI in Europe is discussed.
In the third paper, Franz Wotawa takes a historical perspective to analyse a specific AI paradigm, rather than describing the contributions to AI by researchers from a specific geographical area. In his contribution, he describes how European researchers have always been very active in Model-based reasoning, utilising logic and other formal approaches for foundational aspects, algorithm proposals and applications in several areas. The qualitative and quantitative relevance of the European contribution to this area is highlighted in this analysis.
In the fourth paper, Cristian Barrué et al. present the Timeline of the History of AI in Europe project as a common effort by the European AI Community in two directions: towards the past it makes visible under-represented milestones, provides a more inclusive and extensive view of the role of European AI, whilst looking to the future it provides a practical visual tool for analysing global trends in Artificial Intelligence which provide insights for both researchers and policy-makers.
Finally, in the fifth paper, Martín Pereira-Fariña and Davide Bassi, propose developing a collective memory of AI with the double aim of being complementary to other visions and approaches by (i) complementing the usual historical perspective of AI (as happens, for instance, with initiatives such as The History of AI Timeline, and (ii) complementing the usual scientific and technical perspective by adopting a more comprehensive and humanistic perspective of the development of AI, which is crucial to understand how societies assess AI.
These papers in the special issue itself offer a small sample, such as the History of AI Timeline (Barrué-Subirana & Cortés-García, 2024). We hope that this effort is complemented by other initiatives aimed at achieving a more comprehensive understanding of the science of IA and its impact. Together with other initiatives, such as The History of AI Timeline, we hope that this effort is complemented by other efforts aiming to achieve a more comprehensive landscape of the contributions of the European research community to the global history of AI.
Funding
The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
