Oral history interview with Ronald B. Ohlander

Abstract

The interview begins with a discussion of Ohlander's background in the Navy and his education in computer science in the mid-1970s. From 1981 through 1985 Ohlander was a program manager in ISTO. He describes the programmatic, administrative, and technical management of the artificial intelligence program while he was there. Topics covered include the AI contractors and programs, the Strategic Computing Initiative, and the Competition Bill. In the last part of the interview, Ohlander talks about the necessity of the long-term funding of AI provided by DARPA and the AI influence on computer science, industry, and the military. This interview was recorded as part of a research project on the influence of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) on the development of computer science in the United States.