The panel is meant as a forum for an informal discussion for the panelists and attendees to discuss the agenda of workshop (intelligent databases and the convergence of AI and database technologies), and the topics of the talks from the day. The panelists will not present materials, but rather lead the discussion. As such, many questions and discussion will be unanticipated.

That said, the following are questions to be addressed, as time permits.

1. Grand Challenges
   • What are today's grand challenges?
2. The Meet
   • Where do AI and databases meet?
3. Communities
   • How should the different communities (AI, databases, etc.) work together?
4. Search
   • Isn't it all just search anyways?
5. The Next Web
   • What's next with the Web?

As a society, we have gone from having too little data (and information) to having too much. Many applications in computer science today are data-centred. Meanwhile, CS can be accused of dashing off madly in all directions. It is hard to see any "grand challenges" today.

• What do you feel are the grand challenges facing information systems?

Conceptually, AI and databases are closely related. Of course, their objectives are quite different (databases, to solve specific retrieval and transactional tasks well; AI, to solve complex problems byond the scope of traditional approaches).

Much knowledge-base AI work now depends on very large data collections. Database systems are evolving to handle new, more complex applications.

1. Where should the natural boundary between these endeavors be?
2. How could current database systems be adapted, or extended, to support better data-intense AI applications? Data mining?
3. How could AI research make better use of existing database technology?

While there are many topics that represent a convergence of databases, information systems, and AI conceptually, such as the semantic web, ontogolies, and data mining, the respective communities seem more insular than ever.

• How can this be addressed?

Many AI tasks can be characterized as search problems. Database technology offers efficient approaches to specific search tasks. Information retrieval offers techniques to search vast corpi, balancing quality metrics. With the rise of the Web, search has taken centre stage again.

1. Is search a good unifying paradigm for what we all do?
2. Is "search" really the grand challenge?
3. What are the key issues facing us with search today?
   Who is in the best position to address them?
4. Is the semi-structured approach, and XML, the right way to go?
   Can ontologies be made to work?

The World Wide Web has certainly changed the way many of us obtain information. It has also been a confluence of many computer technologies, many of keen interest the workhop and ISMIS attendees.

1. What should the next generation Web look like?
2. What do you see as being the critical problems with the Web today?
3. What will be the main driving forces behind the evolution of the Web? E-commerce? Universal access to information?