Research and Development in Information Technology Assignments

Task 7.2: Syntopic Reading

In this task, you are to choose a topic in AI and Robotics, and then find and read three research papers on that topic, summarizing each of the three papers.

Instructions

Which particular application topic within AI & Robotics was most interesting to you? Was it robotics, games with AI, techniques in machine learning or automated reasoning?

In this task, you are to choose a topic in AI & Robotics, and then find and read three research papers on the topic. For each paper, write a short summary of 120 words detailing (try to find published papers in the last two years):

• aim and contribution of paper, including issues, problem being solved or concept being proposed,
• describe solution to the problem, and experiments done, limitations, data obtained, and
• the outcome.

Possible sources of research papers are these electronic databases:

• IEEExplore digital library
• Scholar google
• ACM Digital library

Task 7.3: Writing a mini literature review (syntopic writing)

In this task you will write an analysis of four papers on a given topic in AI & Robotics, i.e., a literature review.

Instructions

Based on the three papers you have read and summarized, and adding one more (read and summarize a fourth paper for the topic), write a mini 400 word literature review of AI&Robotics in that chosen application domain, describing the work from the four papers as follows:

• an introduction to the application domain
• key concepts and ideas, obtained from the four papers
• summarize, contrast, and compare the research done across the four papers (noting similartiies and differences in problem being addressed, approach taken, outcomes, technology used, pros and cons, etc) including experiments done (if any), results and limitations, advantages and disadvantages; trace the development of ideas across the four papers
• a conclusion of key ideas and any ideas for future work

Note that this write-up is different from a mere list of three summaries you did previously - this task is an analysis, not just a summary, of the research in the four papers.

Note that a literature review typically has many more papers, depending on the topic of review, and would aim to cover as many papers in the area as possible, but this exercise is to provide practice in analyzing work on the same topic from four different perspectives (i.e., as represented by the four papers).

Task 8.1: Ideation

For this task, you need to come up with an idea/problem related to artificial intelligence and robotics - you need not say how to develop this concept or implement this solution here - you will do so in later tasks.

Instructions

Your idea or concept idea could be related to any of machine learning, expert systems, and robotics areas. Conduct a literature review (or based on your previously read papers) and identify a new problem/idea in AI. Some examples of problems to solve related to AI are as follows:

• How to write without having to use a keyboard with the help of voice recognition
• How to tag people automatically in social media using face recognition
• How to translate a text in an image with the help of character recognition
• How to scan an image or PDF file and use in word processing programs with the help of handwriting recognition
• How to teach a robot to recognise world objects such as faces, bicycles, and buildings using object detection
• How to label scene in images using scene labeling
• How to teach robots to teach other robots
• Or you can choose to nominate your own problem/idea in AI

The material on ideation in Course 1 and articles in this course will help you with this task.

Task 8.2: Try a tool

In this task, you are to try out and run an existing tool for developing the solution/idea/concept you defined in the previous task. Note that you need not develop the solution in this task but choose a tool for it.

Instructions

For this task, you need to find, try out (including downloading and installing if needed) and run an existing tool for developing/solving the problem/idea you defined in the previous task. A comprehensive list of frameworks, platforms and demos have been introduced in this course, which you can use. You can use a variety of examples provided by the tools such as Amazon AI, Azure AI, and Google Cloud Machine Learning Engine that you can run and see them in action, e.g., simulations. You can also download frameworks such as Tensorflow, Caffe, Weka, etc and use with the programming language you are familiar with. Upload a snapshot of the tool when it is running.

The material in this course will help you with this task.

Task 8.3: Investigate/find a tool for a given problem

In this task, you are to select and download a given tool or platform (could be the one you downloaded and installed previously) related to a topic in AI. Then, investigate the tool further, think of how to use the tool to solve the problem/idea/issue you defined in the first (ideation) task, and document your approach and solution (based on the tool - please mention the tool and discuss how it can be used for your problem) in 200 words.

Instructions

For this task, select and download/investigate a given AI-related tool/platform (could be the one you downloaded and installed previously).

Then, investigate the tool more, outlining how you would use the tool to solve the problem you defined in the first task.

Note that you need not implement the solution but discuss how the tool can be used.

Task 8.4: A literature Review on IT R&D Trends

In this task, you are to write a literature review on IT R&D trends. You can reuse material from, and base this literature review on, the three mini-reviews you have written in the areas of Internet of Things, Intelligent Transport Systems and Connected Autonomous Vehicles, and AI&Robotics. The aim of this task is to link and syngergize work you have read and analysed across the three areas in order to provide a broader perspective and review on IT R&D.

Instructions

For this task, you are to combine the mini-reviews you have done across the three areas in order to provide a recent perspective on IT R&D. You are allowed to add discussions on up to 20 (preferably recent) papers and provide references to them - the 20 includes the papers you have already read from the other minireviews. Feel free to also not use papers you have read in earlier reviews - you can replace them with other papers.

Note that there is no preferred style for referencing in the references/bibliography section - any academic style, as long as consistent in format/style, and complete (having all the bits of information such as name of paper, journal or conference or book, page numbers, date and so on).

Please review features of a good literature review from earlier courses. Also, please aim to provide a roadmap, analysis and comparison of work. Think of the review as providing an informative up-to-date perpective and trend analysis on recent IT R&D (though focusing on the three areas you have looked at), for someone not familiar in the three areas or in IT R&D.

Task 10.1: Digital Ethics Reading

In this task, you are to read two articles and provide a summary of their contents, and a critical reflection on their contents.

Instructions

Read the article originating from the IEEE Global Initiative for Ethical Considerations in Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Systems: Ethically Aligned Design: A Vision For Prioritizing Wellbeing With Artificial Intelligence And Autonomous Systems, Version 1. IEEE, 2016.

Provide a 300- word summary of the key issues and recommendations highlighted in the report.

Also, read the recent paper (also available here) entitled "Society-in-the-Loop: Programming the Algorithmic Social Contract" and provide a 300-word summary of the key ideas there.

Your summaries (as above) and critical reflections (up to 600 words) on the ideas above should address at least the following questions:

• What are the issues raised by the two articles?
• What are the suggestions to address the problems?
• What are advantages and disadvantages of the suggestions?
• How could the ideas/suggestions be tested and evaluated?
• Are there other approaches or suggestions from work you have encountered in this course or other related work which can help implement the suggestions? (include at least one other)
• Are there aspects not addressed by the articles?
• What are your own ideas (if any) to address the issues raised by the articles?
• How will the ethical considerations in "Ethically Designed Design" influence your work as an IT professional and as an IT developer or researcher?
• Comment on how practical or not practical algorithmic social contracts are, and if you would be able to employ that approach in IT R&D you could be involved in the future?