The Department has its origins in the Department of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, which was formed in 1994 in response to a national initiative to strengthen support for teaching and research in IT. The Department of Artificial Intelligence, together with the Department of Computer Science, emerged as separate entities as part of the restructuring associated with the creation of th
e Faculty of ICT in 2007. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is concerned with getting machines to behave humanely: to solve complex, ill-specified problems; to learn and discover on the basis of experience; to perceive, to interpret, to classify, to speak, to hear, to hold conversations in English or Maltese. In short, AI studies the general problem of building intelligent artifacts that demonstrate human-like competence in determined areas. The boundary between AI and Computer Science tends to be fluid. There are areas – knowledge representation or data interpretation come to mind – which are thoroughly interdisciplinary. This is as it should be, since when AI discovers a new problem, it looks to Computer Science to extend the tools out of which solutions might be built. TEACHING
The AI Department conducts undergraduate teaching for the BSc ICT (Hons) degree, within the Faculty of ICT. At Masters level, the department offers an MSc in AI in streams which include Big Data, an Erasmus Mundus MSc in Human Language Science and Technology, an MSc by research and PhDs. The Department’s research is focused on Data Discovery, Big, Linked Data, Analytics and Visualisation, Human Language Technology, Semantic Technologies, Digital Games, Bioinformatics and Machine Learning. RESEARCH
The Department has research interests in such areas as
Ambient Intelligence
Adaptive Systems
Analytics and Visualisation
Bioinformatics
Big Data
Cognitive Systems
eLearning
Human Language and SpeechTechnology
Visual and Audio Data Interpretation
Intelligent Agents
Machine Learning
Open Data
Search Engine Technology
Search and Optimisation
Semantic Web/Internet Technologies
Simulation and Visualisation
Sound and Music Synthesis
Besides running thematic research groups in some of these areas, it also participates in a number of nationally and internationally funded research projects.
