No matter their exact form, AI Science and Engineering and its sister disciplines have many great challenges to address. Here is a partial list:

• Is AI Science and Technology a scientific discipline in its own right?
• How can we quantify knowledge?
• Can Virtual Reality truly empower meta-societies or is it just a hype? 
• Can AI-powered human-centred computing surpass human intelligence?
• Can we create self-conscious machines?
• Can Mind and Social Engineering manipulate human behaviour and social functions?
• How do social media facilitate disinformation?
• What are the envisaged effects of AI and IT on our personal relations and sexual life?
• How can we not only protect but also monetize our personal data?
• Can AI help devising new political systems?
• How are irrationalism, anti-elitism, and social media disinformation related?
• Can new technologies ignite social revolutions?
• Is life and intelligence due to matter complexity?
• Can we patch parts of our brain?
• Is climate controllable through Geoengineering?
• Can humanity progress without resorting to energy-intensive technologies?

As each of them needs an entire book to be properly addressed, this lecture will simply introduce few of these challenges for further discussion and debate.