No matter their exact form, AI Science and Engineering and its sister disciplines have many great challenges to address. Here is a partial list:
Is AI Science and Technology a scientific discipline in its own right?
How can we quantify knowledge?
Can Virtual Reality truly empower meta-societies or is it just a hype?
Can AI-powered human-centred computing surpass human intelligence?
Can we create self-conscious machines?
Can Mind and Social Engineering manipulate human behaviour and social functions?
How do social media facilitate disinformation?
What are the envisaged effects of AI and IT on our personal relations and sexual life?
How can we not only protect but also monetize our personal data?
Can AI help devising new political systems?
How are irrationalism, anti-elitism, and social media disinformation related?
Can new technologies ignite social revolutions?
Is life and intelligence due to matter complexity?
Can we patch parts of our brain?
Is climate controllable through Geoengineering?
Can humanity progress without resorting to energy-intensive technologies?
As each of them needs an entire book to be properly addressed, this lecture will simply introduce few of these challenges for further discussion and debate.