Fire Extinguisher

All:
Luckily I carry a spare fire extinguisher to put out little flames.  Anyways (I’m not a moderator in any sort) but I was wondering
if we could shift topics in this direction:

Although I have been subscribed to this list for quite some time, I must confess that I have no earthy idea about AI’s.  I primarily
focus on doing cgi programming, and although I do that fairly well for my little website, I find the possibilities of the work that
you guys present do exciting (not to mention I envy you for having such fun jobs).  Of course, my skewed understanding of AI derives
from sci-fi movies and much pop culture.  So, this is a simple and painless question (I hope!): In what direction is the majority of
this field moving as far as research is concerned?  I remember that Mr. Williams released his latest categorize module not to long
ago.  Are “you” pushing for automatic recognition and categorization (like Mr. William’s) or a broader ability to adapt and learn
(like the more recent movie, The Matrix, horrifies)?  And if so, what kind of application do you personally hope for this newfound
technology (of course limitless possibilities exist, but all software has a desired implementation).  Or is there another aspect to
this field altogether?

Warm regards,
Joe Schulman

P.S.  This question is first and foremost a fire extinguisher to shift topics, but don’t misunderstand: I really do enjoy this field
and eagerly follow your success.