Dipartimento di Ingegneria informatica, automatica e gestionale

What kind of a discipline is AI?. Is it an empirical science, like, say, Physics or Cognitive Psychology? Is it a mathematical science, like, say, Topology or Set Theory? If neither, what could it be? And what difference does it make? In particular, how should one think about the leading methodologies in AI? I will try at least to address these questions and answer some of the easier ones.

DAVID J. ISRAEL Director of the Natural Language Program Artificial Intelligence Center Information and Computing Sciences Division SRI International: