Scientific studies that watch the development of a science project over a long period of time are usually difficult to undertake. Following up after just ten years can be difficult task, so when Eric Horvitz, managing director of the Microsoft Research lab in Redmond, Washington proposed a 100 year study of Artificial Intelligence, you can imagine its not going to be easy.

Nicknamed the AI100 study, the actual research will take place at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. It will involve a standing committee of interdisciplinary researchers who deliver a report every 5 years. Horvitz said that machine intelligence will have deep effects on people and society, and the influences will be changing over time. It would be really nice to have a platform where there’s a long vision to the future as well as a really sharp connected memory through sets of studies, he added.

The study has currently defined 18 areas of focus which include everything from political and economic implications to ethics and legal concerns. As Horvitz described the study, it’s not just studying and writing about phenomena, but also about playing the role of soothsayer and providing guidance to government agencies, funding agencies, and researchers—on both the costs and opportunities of AI. This will be one cutting edge science project even though it will last a century.