This volume contains a well-balanced set of applications and theory papers in artificial intelligence advances. The applications papers each discuss a system that is (or is close to being) a fielded system that solves real problems using one or more AI techniques. They cover areas such as education, physics, energy, control, medicine and mechanical engineering.The theory papers, representing recent advances in various theoretical aspects of AI technology, concern themselves with “building block” issues, i.e. theories, algorithms, architectures, and software tools that can or will be used for modules within future systems. The topics covered are: clustering, natural language, adaptive algorithms, distributed processing, knowledge acquisition, and systems programming.