CALL FOR SYMPOSIA (OR OTHER) PROPOSALS
Society for the Study of Artificial Intelligence and Simulation of Behaviour (AISB) 2017 Convention (AISB ’17)
~19-21 April 2017, University of Bath, UK
http://aisb2017.cs.bath.ac.uk
DEADLINE: 15 September 2016
Contact: aisb2017@easychair.org
Dear Colleagues,
The world’s oldest AI society, The Society for the Study of Artificial Intelligence and Simulation of Behaviour (AISB), sponsors the world’s longest-running annual AI convention, consisting of a collocation of themed symposia, workshops, and events in areas of artificial intelligence and cognitive science. The AISB convention aims to provide a unique opportunity to promote emerging work on a timely theme spanning the full range of research taking place within Artificial Intelligence, but with a particular emphasis on the simulation of behaviour (that is, on understanding natural intelligence).
AISB 2017 will be held at the University of Bath, chaired by Joanna Bryson, Marina De Vos, and Julian Padget. In addition to the academic meeting, we anticipate having a conference dinner on the first night of the meeting (on campus), and a general reception in town at the Roman Baths on the second, with block bookings made at a variety of local restaurants. Sign-up for the various bookings will be held at the dinner and during the meeting’s second day. We will also try to arrange special rates for tours (e.g. Stonehenge, Bletchley Park) and at the Thermal Bath Spa for the weekend following, to encourage participants to stay through the end of the third day.
We have reinstituted the idea of having a convention theme, and have chosen Society with AI. Symposia are not required to contribute to the theme, but creative linking is encouraged. While follow-on symposia from previous years are welcome, new symposium topics and organisers are particularly encouraged. We aim to promote this thesis: AI is neither science fiction nor dystopian future, but rather a part of our present and near-future lives, and to encourage the academic exploration of its full consequences.
CONVENTION FORMAT
Symposia are held in parallel across several days. AISB encourages cross-fertilisation through participation in multiple symposia. Symposia are allocated time in half-day units based on the expected number of talks and participation level. Participants are encouraged to stay for the entire meeting. Discounted rates are available for students and the unwaged; smaller discounts may be available for attending less than the full meeting. Video talks are discouraged unless full virtual participation can be arranged and full attendance fees paid. Organisers are otherwise offered considerable leeway in the structure of their meetings, but they are required to both provide and conform to a published schedule to facilitate movement between symposia. Symposia can include any type of event of academic benefit: talks, posters, panels, performances, discussions, demonstrations, outreach sessions, etc.
Typical topics include:
- Computational Intelligence
- Cognitive Phenomena such as Consciousness, Emotions, and Trust
- Human and Machine Creativity
- Human-Robot Collaboration
- Simulation of Human and Animal Behaviour
- Machine Ethics
- Machine Learning and/or Knowledge Representation
Topics related to this year’s theme might include:
- AI and Human Labour
- AI and Migrant Integration
- Robots and Human Mental Health
- Robots and Human Sexuality
- Technical Mediation of Robust Communities
- Modelling Cultural Evolution
- Simulating Socio Technical Systems
- The Future of Pets
PROPOSING A SYMPOSIUM
Each symposium is organized by its own programme committee. The chairs of that committee propose the symposium, define the area(s) and structure, issue calls for abstracts, papers, demos or other forms of submission they deem appropriate, manage the process of submission review and selection, and compiles an electronic copy for inclusion in the convention proceedings. Because this is a considerable responsibility, we encourage there to be at least three organisers for each symposium.
The exact topic, call, and duration of the symposiums must be negotiated with the convention organising committee and approved by the AISB committee. Because space is expensive and we wish to keep registration costs low, cognate symposium proposals may be encouraged to merge.
Proposers are welcome to submit-or otherwise be involved with-more than one proposal. Proposers (and attendees) need not already be members the AISB and will not be required to become members. They will of course be encouraged to join!
IMPORTANT DATES
- Deadline for symposium proposals: 15th September 2016
- Notification to proposers of accepted symposia: 30th September 2016
- Notification to authors by symposia of accepted papers: 15th February 2017 (at the latest!)
- Final papers delivered for the (online) proceedings: 20th March 2017
- Convention 19th-21st April 2017, depending on the number of symposia. There may be a day of workshops or tutorials immediately before the convention (18 April 2017).
CfP should be released as soon as possible after notification and promoted by the individual symposia chairs. These CfP will be circulated by the AISB to members in early October. Typically submission deadlines are late December; acceptance / revision requests are normally notified by February. The format of submissions is defined by the organisers of the individual symposia, but any final papers or abstracts for the proceedings should conform to the AISB style available from the AISB web page. Chairs or individual authors may decide whether to publish their papers archivally; proceedings will have an ISSN provided by AISB, but may contain a mix of abstracts and full papers as suits the publication needs of the individual symposia or their authors.
Symposia proposals should consist of the proposed call for papers or abstracts. This will allow for quick announcement following acceptance. The proposed call should include:
- A symposium title.
- A 300-1000 word description of the scope of the symposium and its relevance to the convention, along with the nature of the academic events (talks, posters, panels, demonstrations, etc.).
- The organising committee (names, affiliations, contact details).
- Mention of whether the symposium is intended as a sequel to a symposium at a previous AISB conference, and if so how it will relate to or extend from previous meetings (saying “more of the same” is fine if prior editions have been successful, but improvements are welcome).
- Description of submission format: e.g., by abstract, extended abstract or full paper.
In addition, please include:
- Your preferences about the intended length of the symposium as a number of days (preferably one or two, but anything from half a day to three), together with a brief justification, including the number of anticipated presentations and other participants.
- A description (up to 500 words) of any experience you have in organizing academic research meetings (it is not a requirement that you have such experience).
- Names and affiliations of any invited speakers that you have in mind for the symposium.
- If possible, names and affiliations of the preliminary programme committee (please indicate whether they have agreed, even provisionally.)
Completed proposals should be submitted to the committee via EasyChair using the URL: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=aisb2017
We look forward to receiving your proposals. If you have queries regarding any aspect of the convention or submission process, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Kind Regards,
The AISB 2017 Organising Committee (aisb2017@easychair.org)