AAAI-08 AI Video Competition


The Great Lake of Chicago
(Photo courtesy Trey Ratcliff)

http://www.aivideo.org (Main Page)
Call for Videos (pdf)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

  1. Will you do this again?
    David Aha plans to submit a proposal (in September) to hold this event at IJCAI-09, having now discussed this with IJCAI-09 Program Chair Craig Boutillier. However, Sebastian Thrun has decided to step down, and we're searching for another co-chair to assist. Please contact David (david dot aha at nrl dot navy dot mil) if you're interested in helping in some capacity.

  2. What are the general expectations of a video submission?
    In addition to addressing the Reviewing Criteria, it should be self-contained. For example, we anticipate the submissions will
    1. display initial information (e.g., title, developer names and affiliations, developer contact information (usually, just an email address)),
    2. integrate audio with video (e.g., for narration),
    3. (somewhere, perhaps early on) indicate the general context of the video,
    4. include some brief but easily digested visual technical summary (e.g., a slide in the middle of the presentation, to help explain the approach), and
    5. display credits at the end of the video (perhaps reiterating some of the initial information).
    Not all of these are necessarily needed/required, but these are typical of what we've received in previous videos.

  3. What is the (revised) detailed schedule?

  4. Why was the submission deadline revised?
    The earlier/original submission deadline this year (4 April 2008) conflicted with other, nearby submission deadlines, preventing the submission of many other videos (we received several requests for a delayed submission deadline). Therefore, we decided to shift back to the strategy that worked well last year (i.e., a late deadline that has fewer conflicts), and settled on 2 June 2008.

    If they wish, developers who submitted a video by the original deadline are welcome to update their videos for the revised submission deadline.

  5. Do we need to provide a downloadable URL or does it suffice to post this at our favorite viewable video site?
    We request a downloadable URL for the following (and other) reasons:
    1. We'd like to keep a mirror copy for reviewers to access
    2. We also will make all of the submissions available via a single location, in a form that doesn't require downloading, to make it easy for the reviewers to look at them.
    3. It helps us to keep track of what has been submitted.

  6. Is it important that the videos be entertaining?
    They should not be dull. We believe that prospective viewers (e.g., a prospective student, a colleague, a potential sponsor) will have greater interest in seeing your video if the title is accurate/intriguing, the beginning explains the focus, and visualization cues are used to help the viewer understand the problem(s) being addressed, method being used to address them, and the progress/status of the effort. This doesn't preclude a highly-theoretical focus! We had several videos in 2007 that were highly theoretical. However, as with all video submissions, some imagination is needed to make the videos engaging.

    Of most importance is that the AI relevance/contribution should be made clear.

  7. Who can submit a video?
    Anyone! We have no constraints on location, seniority, experience with video development, etc. For example, in 2007 we received a terrific submission from a group of undergraduates, several from folks who had never previously created a video, and many from outside of the USA (e.g., including 4 of our 6 award-winners).

  8. Must the winners attend the ceremony?
    If they cannot, then we'll ask them to create a short video taping their acceptance speech. This occurred for half the award winners in 2007.

  9. Can you provide travel funding for students?
    We don't have a lot of funding, but might be able to help a student award-winner who cannot otherwise attend.

  10. If a submission is accepted, must the developers sign a AAAI copyright form?
    Good news: No! In cases where this is not feasible, the developers need only sign a AAAI Video Distribution License.

  11. Will there be time for developers to update an accepted video?
    Yes. We plan to inform developers by 17 June as to whether their submitted videos are accepted. They'll have until 30 June to update them in response to the reviewers' suggestions.

  12. How many submissions have you received so far?

  13. What lessons did you learn this year?