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The Institute for Systems Research is pleased to announce the release of Acting, Planning, and Learning, a new book by Professor Emeritus Dana Nau, published by Cambridge University Press.
The book explores how artificial intelligence systems can better emulate essential cognitive functions: acting, planning, and learning. These capabilities are foundational for AI “actors,” whether they are physical robots, virtual agents in simulated environments, or other autonomous systems.
“AI Actors require essential cognitive functions without which intelligence is hardly conceivable, and this book is about three of them,” says Nau.
Acting, Planning, and Learning integrates state-of-the-art techniques and identifies open research challenges in AI, robotics, and cognitive systems. The final manuscript is available for free online, where readers will also find lecture slides designed to support teaching and research.
This fall, both the book and accompanying slides will be used in CMSC 722: AI Planning, a graduate course popular with ISR and Maryland Robotics Center students. The course, historically taught by Nau, will now be led by Dr. Mark “Mak” Roberts, a research scientist.
Nau’s decades of work in automated planning and decision-making continue to shape the way researchers approach intelligence in both theory and practice. This latest publication offers a timely and accessible guide for scholars, educators, and practitioners working at the intersection of artificial intelligence, systems engineering, and autonomy.
The book is available for online orders at a 30% discount through IJCAI with free shipping through mid-September. To order, visit Cambridge University Press and use the discount code 102519.
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August 14, 2025
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