Welcome to the UK-RAS White Paper Series on Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS). This is one of the core activities of the UK-RAS Network, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). By bringing together academic centers of excellence, industry, government, funding bodies, and charities, the Network provides academic leadership and expands collaboration with industry while integrating and coordinating activities at EPSRC-funded RAS capital facilities, Centres for Doctoral Training, and partner universities.
The recent successes of AI have captured the wildest imagination of both the scientific communities and the general public. Robotics and AI amplify human potential, increase productivity, and are moving from simple reasoning towards human-like cognitive abilities. Current AI technologies are used in a set area of applications, ranging from healthcare, manufacturing, transport, and energy, to financial services, banking, advertising, management consulting, and government agencies. The global AI market was around 260 billion USD in 2016 and it is estimated to exceed 3 trillion by 2024. To understand the impact of AI, it is important to draw lessons from its past successes and failures and this white paper provides a comprehensive explanation of the evolution of AI, its current status, and future directions.
