Seminars relevant to Informatics

[Informatics Institute News <institute-news AT inf.ed.ac.uk>]

Good afternoon,

 

An IPAB visitor seminar will be taking place on Friday 23rd October at 10am in room MF2

Dr Peter Drewes will be speaking.

 

For those unable to attend in-person please view remotely using IPAB Visitor Seminar - Friday 23rd October 10:00, Room MF2, Speaker: Dr Peter Drewes | Meeting-Join | Microsoft Teams

 

Title: 50 Years of Autonomy: Why Haven't We Solved It Yet? From Perception to Collaboration to Commander's Intent

 

Abstract: For more than 50 years, advances in sensing, perception, artificial intelligence, and computing have enabled robots to navigate, recognize objects, and make increasingly sophisticated decisions. Yet truly autonomous systems capable of collaborating and achieving shared mission objectives remain elusive. Why?

 

Perhaps the greatest obstacle is not technological, but architectural and institutional. Decades of research within closed architectures, proprietary ecosystems, and isolated demonstrations have produced sophisticated but disconnected platforms. We have optimized individual robots rather than collective missions, limiting interoperability, collaboration, and operational scalability. This presentation explores why progress in perception has outpaced our ability to build connected, mission-aware systems. True autonomy requires resilient communications, shared mission understanding, coordinated decisions, and the ability to adapt when connectivity fails.

 

Ultimately, the missing element is Commander's Intent—the ability to understand the purpose behind a mission and collaboratively achieve its objectives, even when disconnected. We spent 50 years teaching robots to perceive the world. Now we need to teach them to understand the mission.

 

Bio: Dr. Peter Drewes is a seasoned technology executive and strategist with over 25 years of experience at the intersection of artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, and defence innovation. Currently serving in a Futures/technology role at SAIC, he leads next-generation autonomy and modelling & simulation initiatives, with recent contributions to multibillion-dollar AI-based training and experimentation programs, including the AUKUS Talisman Sabre 2025 experiment. His career spans leadership roles at Lockheed Martin, Amazon Web Services, and SAIC, where he has consistently translated cutting-edge AI/ML research into real-world impact. A prolific contributor to the field with over 30 technical publications, Dr. Drewes holds a PhD in Computer Engineering from the University of Central Florida and an MBA from Texas A&M, and has served as an Adjunct Professor at UCF since 1994. He brings a rare blend of deep technical expertise and executive-level strategic vision to today's conversation on autonomy.

 

Kind regards,

Andrew

 

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