Automatic Control in the Era of Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

In an era where Artificial Intelligence (AI) is often seen as a universal solution for any complex problem, this presentation offers a critical examination of its role in the field of automatic control. To be concrete, I will focus on Optimal Control techniques, navigating through its history and addressing the evolution from its traditional model-based roots to the emerging data-driven methodologies empowered by AI.

The presentation will delve into how the theoretical underpinnings of Optimal Control have been historically aligned with computational capabilities, and how this alignment has shifted over the years. This juxtaposition of theory and computation motivates a deeper investigation into the diminishing relevance of certain traditional control methods amidst the AI revolution. We will critically examine scenarios where AI-driven approaches could outperform classical methods, as well as cases where the hype surrounding AI overshadows its actual utility.

The talk will conclude with a nuanced view of state-of-the-art optimal control methods in practical applications including self-driving cars, advanced robotics and energy efficient systems. From this perspective, we will identify and explore future potential directions for the field, including the design of learning control architectures which seamlessly integrate predictive capabilities at every level, focusing on systems that can autonomously refine their performance over time through continuous learning and interaction with their environment.