We look forward to welcoming you to IJCAI-09 in Pasadena. Pasadena, home of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the California Institute of Technology, is situated northeast of greater Los Angeles, an area that is at the heart of the US space and entertainment industries. This location provides an ideal stage for IJCAI-09, where innovations spanning the entire spectrum of artificial intelligence and related fields will be discussed.

Indeed, the theme of IJCAI-09 is “The Interdisciplinary Reach of Artificial Intelligence.” AI has always been both forward-looking and outward-looking, drawing influence from—and having significant impact on—a wide range of disciplines in science, engineering, medicine, the social sciences, the arts and humanities. Our technical sessions and other events address research and applications that span a diversity of interdisciplinary topics.

We all recognize that the world economy is deeply troubled. Historically, significant technological innovations have often emerged after major recessions, innovations that have the potential to transform industries. For those of us dedicated to science and innovation, these are extremely exciting times because we may witness radical innovations that will dominate industries for decades to come. Perhaps you may be the one who creates such a transforming technology.

The Pasadena Convention Center is ideally situated near Pasadena Old Town, a place with cozy and relaxed ambience, typical of Southern California. We will offer a range of stimulating technical tours, including the Institute for Creative Technologies and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In addition, there will be numerous workshops, tutorials, and collocated meetings. It will be an intense but rewarding week. We are sure that you will bring a "vision of the future" back home with you along with a variety of memorable IJCAI-09 experiences.

Hiroaki Kitano, Conference Chair

The IJCAI 2009 homepage can be found at http://ijcai-09.org/about_conference.html