10 questions on Artificial Intelligence, adressed by Gérard SABAH, Ed. Le Manuscrit, Paris, 2009
Publications
"Ten questions to … on"
les relations entre la technologie, la croissance et l'emploi
Wind power, an energy source for the 21st Century - Gilbert RUELLE (2009)
The relation between technology, growth and employment
“10 questions about AI (Artificial Intelligence) and Technologies”, addressed by Gérard SABAH, Ed. Le Manuscrit, Paris, Sept. 2009
The concept of Artificial Intelligence (AI) was defined in the mid-fifties and has since raised lots of expectations. Underlying AI techniques are implemented in many industrial situations, alongside classical computer science processes. The author identifies the main AI tools that can be found in applications. Developing machine-based intelligent systems, independent of human modes of thinking and reasoning, indeed understanding how humans reason and how a group of individuals behaves … are some of the points of view that AI offers. Naturally, the thematics above lead on to other societal and ethical questions, are also addressed here, including medium and long range prospects for AI developments.
To finish, the author shows where France stands in this area of research and points to certain investments that should, he feels, be made to ensure an acceptable level of progress in this specialty he sees as crucial in the future.
Gérard SABAH is senior research scientist with the CNRS; his research covers automatic analysis and processing of natural languages, of man-machine communication and cognition sciences. He was elected Fellow to NATF in 2005.
This pubication (in French) can be obtained at 
Editions Le Manuscrit
“10 questions about the relation between technology, growth and employment”, addressed by Prof. Jacques LESOURNE
1. What are the long-term effects of technology on growth rates and job markets of a given national economy with few or no external exchange factors?
Two definitions arise from the application of the first model
How best can we describe growth?
Understanding the concepts of labour, equipment and natural resources
Based on this first model, is there an answer to the first question?
2. In this context, how has French growth compared with others over the past 15 years?
First observable fact: unemployment sterilises the main factor underscoring production
Second observable fact: with respect to the USA, our per capitum growth rate is low.
Third observable fact: bad performance figures are largely due to employment rates and working hours.
With these facts and figures, what reasonable conclusions can we draw?
3. If we take sectorial diversity into account, does this contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between technologies - employment- growth?
Social ‘welfare’ unemployment
Classical unemployment.
Keynesian unemployment.
4. How should one interpret differences in level of unemployment in France, between the immediate after WWII period and the past 30 years?
5. How does international trade intervene in the relation technologies – employment - growth ?
6. What happens when you superimpose capital movements to international trade patterns?
7. Does increased globalisation of companies contribute to the phenomena observed?
What is the particular role played by technologies with respect to employment and growth?
Four actors: SMEs and large conglomerates, States and scientists.
Complex relationships between SMEs and major companies, States and scientists.
Multiple effects in terms of employment.
8. How and where do technologies arise?
9. What general conclusions may we draw from these analyses?
10. What do these conclusions imply for the European Union and for France in particular?
The European Union does not exploit the potential growth rates that should naturally accrue from the excellence of our scientists and engineers.
In France, the impact of demographic evolution, of the relatively low number of hours of each active worker, and of the particularities of the labour market.
download The document can be downloaded at ths site(30pages)
“10 questions about wind power, an energy source for the 21st Century”, addressed by Gilbert RUELLE, Ed. le Manuscrit, Paris, Jan. 2009X
Use of wind power has been made popular over the past decades due to the price hikes for petroleum products and the discovery of global warming. Many countries have made substantial investments in wind power installations and the European Union has set a series of ambitious target figures in regard to production of electricity from this natural prime mover.
Some twenty years later, we can ask the question: has wind power lived up to our expectations? What problems remain to be solved urgently in order to be able to pursue a harmonious development of this energy source in the context of the existing European network of production sites and transmission lines? Is investment in the area of wind power installations the best choice for the purpose of reduction of CO2 emissions?
“10 questions about the relation between technology, growth and employment”, addressed by Prof. Jacques LESOURNE
1. What are the long-term effects of technology on growth rates and job markets of a given national economy with few or no external exchange factors?
Two definitions arise from the application of the first model
How best can we describe growth?
Understanding the concepts of labour, equipment and natural resources
Based on this first model, is there an answer to the first question?
2. In this context, how has French growth compared with others over the past 15 years?
First observable fact: unemployment sterilises the main factor underscoring production
Second observable fact: with respect to the USA, our per capitum growth rate is low.
Third observable fact: bad performance figures are largely due to employment rates and working hours.
With these facts and figures, what reasonable conclusions can we draw?
3. If we take sectorial diversity into account, does this contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between technologies - employment- growth?
Social ‘welfare’ unemployment
Classical unemployment.
Keynesian unemployment.
4. How should one interpret differences in level of unemployment in France, between the immediate after WWII period and the past 30 years?
5. How does international trade intervene in the relation technologies – employment - growth ?
6. What happens when you superimpose capital movements to international trade patterns?
7. Does increased globalisation of companies contribute to the phenomena observed?
What is the particular role played by technologies with respect to employment and growth?
Four actors: SMEs and large conglomerates, States and scientists.
Complex relationships between SMEs and major companies, States and scientists.
Multiple effects in terms of employment.
8. How and where do technologies arise?
9. What general conclusions may we draw from these analyses?
10. What do these conclusions imply for the European Union and for France in particular?
The European Union does not exploit the potential growth rates that should naturally accrue from the excellence of our scientists and engineers.
In France, the impact of demographic evolution, of the relatively low number of hours of each active worker, and of the particularities of the labour market.
document This document can be downloaded at this site.