For well over a decade researchers in international relations have sought ways to combine the rigor of quantitative techniques with the richness of qualitative data. Many have discovered that artificial intelligence computer models allow them to do just that. Computer programs modeling international interactions and foreign policy decision making attempt to reflect such human characteristics as learning, memory, and adaptation. In this volume of original essays, distinguished scholars present a comprehensive overview of their research and reflect on the potential of artificial intelligence as a tool for furthering our understanding of international affairs.

The contributors take a broad look at the early stirrings of interest in artificial intelligence as a potentially useful method of political analysis, exploring such topics as intentionality, time sense, and knowledge representation. The work also focuses on the current state of artificial intelligence and examines its general areas of emphasis: international interaction, decision making groups, and cognitive processes in international politics. The contributors represent a cross section of different approaches to using artificial intelligence and reflect the major research programs across the country in this new international relations subfield