Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) Releases 91-Page Report, The Future of Artificial Intelligence Research

Recently, the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) released a 91-page report, The Future of Artificial Intelligence Research. The report, which was completed by AAAI President and IBM Artificial Intelligence Researcher Francesca Rossi in collaboration with many experts from academia and industry, delves into a number of key topics in the field of AI, triggering extensive thinking in the industry about the future direction of AI.

Core viewpoint: AGI is not the only goal, multi-path exploration has become a consensus

A compelling point in the report is that the current dominant AI technology routes, namely deep learning and neural networks, may not be sufficient to achieve true general artificial intelligence (AGI). More than 60% of the experts surveyed believe that traditional symbolic AI must be combined with existing neural network systems in order to achieve human-level reasoning capabilities.

Francesca Rossi emphasized that neural network approaches will remain an important part of AI development, but future AI systems will need to incorporate more diverse techniques to better solve complex problems.

Industry Concerns: AGI Risks and Ethical Challenges

The report shows that more than 75% of respondents believe that developing AI systems with controlled risk-reward characteristics is more important than simply pursuing AGI. About 30% of respondents even said that relevant R&D work should be suspended until AGI can be ensured to be safe and controllable.

Anthony Cohn, an AI researcher at the University of Leeds and a member of AAAI, points out that it is unrealistic to try to ban AGI research altogether, and that companies are likely to ignore such bans. He also argues that AGI is far more difficult to implement than many people think.

The Intelligent Body Controversy: The Value and Cost of AI Agentization

The report also looks at a current hot trend in AI - the study of agents. Although most AI companies are investing in this area, the value of "AI Agentization" is still controversial.

Simply put, AI Agentization refers to making AI models human-like, with the ability to perceive, make decisions, and act. But does this shift really offer significant advantages? Is it worth the cost of increased system complexity, arithmetic requirements, and energy consumption? These questions remain to be further explored.

Main content of the report: Multi-dimensional analysis of the future of AI

In addition to these core points, the Future of Artificial Intelligence Research report covers the following important aspects:

• AI Reasoning: How can we equip AI with more reliable, human-like reasoning?
• AI Assessment: How can we establish more comprehensive and effective criteria for evaluating AI systems?
• AI Security and Ethics: How to address the potential risks and ethical challenges posed by AI development?
• Embodied Intelligence: How can AI learn and evolve by interacting with the physical world?
• AI and Cognitive Science: How can we draw on the results of cognitive science to advance AI?
• AI Hardware: How can we design hardware architectures that are more responsive to the needs of AI?
• AI and Scientific Discovery: How can AI be used to accelerate scientific research?
• AI and Sustainable Development. The role of AI in sustainable development, the role it plays.
• General Artificial Intelligence. Introduction to the development of generalized AI, ethical issues encountered, and safety challenges.

Taking Stock and Looking Ahead: Embracing Diversity for the Future of AI

This report is not only a comprehensive summary of the current state of AI development, but also provides valuable reference for future research directions. The report conveys an important message: the future development of AI requires more diversified technology routes, deeper interdisciplinary cooperation, and more comprehensive ethical considerations.

As the report says, "AI should serve human growth, learning and progress, not replace humans." On the road to exploring the future possibilities of AI, we should not only focus on the progress of the technology itself, but also think about how to make AI truly benefit human society.

Read more:https://aaai.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AAAI-2025-PresPanel-Report-FINAL.pdf