Pat Hayes facts for kids

Patrick John Hayes (born August 21, 1944) is a British computer scientist. He is known for his important work in artificial intelligence (AI). He lives and works in the United States. He used to be a senior research scientist at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) in Pensacola, Florida.

Learning and Early Career

Pat Hayes went to Bentley Grammar School in Calne, UK. He then studied mathematics at the University of Cambridge. He earned his first degree there in 1966.

Later, he went to the University of Edinburgh. In 1973, he earned his PhD in artificial intelligence. His research was about how computers can solve problems using logic.

After finishing his studies in Edinburgh, Hayes worked at the University of Essex from 1973 to 1980.

Moving to the USA and Research Centers

In 1981, Pat Hayes moved to the USA. He became a professor at the University of Rochester. There, he taught computer science, philosophy, and psychology.

After Rochester, he worked at several important research centers in California. These included Schlumberger Palo Alto Research Center and Xerox-PARC. He also worked at the Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation. During this time, he was also a visiting professor at Stanford University.

From 1992 to 1996, he was a research professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 1996, he joined the IHMC as a senior research scientist. He became a Senior Research Scientist Emeritus at IHMC in 2009. This means he is still connected to the institute but has retired from full-time work.

Big Ideas in Artificial Intelligence

Pat Hayes has been a very active and important person in artificial intelligence for over 50 years. He is known for being smart and sometimes funny.

Understanding How Computers Think

One of his first big papers was with John McCarthy. It helped explain the basics of how computers can understand and use knowledge. They introduced ideas like situation calculus. This is a way to describe how things change over time in a computer's understanding. They also talked about "fluents," which are things that can change. Their work showed how to use logic to represent knowledge inside a computer.

The Naive Physics Manifesto

Hayes's next major contribution was a famous paper called the Naive Physics Manifesto. This paper suggested that AI researchers should try to teach computers about the everyday world. Think about how a child understands that a ball rolls down a hill. This is "naive physics." Hayes believed computers needed this kind of basic, common-sense knowledge.

He was also one of the first people to really build "ontologies" in computer science. An ontology is like a map of knowledge. It defines what things exist and how they are related. His work inspired many researchers to focus on building these knowledge maps for computers.

AI and the Semantic Web

In the mid-1990s, Hayes became president of the AAAI (Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence). He started to jokingly challenge people who said AI was impossible. He even helped create an award called the "Newcomb Award." This award was given for the most silly argument against AI.

Later, around the year 2000, he became very involved with the Semantic Web. The Semantic Web is an idea to make the internet more understandable for computers. Hayes helped create important standards for the Semantic Web, like RDF and the Web Ontology Language (OWL). These are like languages that help computers understand the meaning of information online. He also helped with SPARQL, which is a way to search for information on the Semantic Web.

He also helped design the ISO Common Logic standard. This is a very important standard for how computers can use logic to reason.

Other Roles and Hobbies

Pat Hayes has held many important roles in AI organizations. He was secretary of the AISB. He also chaired and was a trustee for IJCAI. He was an editor for the Artificial Intelligence Journal. He also served as a governor for the Cognitive Science Society. He is a special member (a "Charter Fellow") of both the AAAI and the Cognitive Science Society.

When he's not working on computer science, Pat Hayes has some interesting hobbies. He likes to fix old mechanical clocks. He also enjoys remodeling old houses. He is even an artist and has shown his artwork in local shows. He also knows a lot about plumbing, carpentry, and electrical work!