Rate My Professor Boris Stilman

Boris Stilman is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Colorado Denver, where he joined the faculty in 1991. He holds Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering from the National Research Institute for Electrical Engineering in Moscow, USSR. His research specializes in artificial intelligence and linguistic geometry, areas explicitly noted in university program materials.

Stilman's work on linguistic geometry began in 1972 in Moscow as part of the 16-year PIONEER project led by World Chess Champion Mikhail Botvinnik and funded by the USSR State Committee for Science and Technology. This initiative aimed to formalize the methodologies employed by chess experts in problem-solving, mathematically replicating human intuitive thinking. Linguistic geometry developed into a game theory framework for adversarial games, including non-zero-sum scenarios and those with incomplete information. It provides scalable algorithms for multi-agent systems applicable to military decision support, command and control, unmanned vehicles, cyberwarfare, and urban combat simulations. In 1999, with support from CU Denver administration, Stilman founded STILMAN Advanced Strategies LLC to advance linguistic geometry applications. This led to DARPA-funded efforts, such as a 1999 project with Rockwell Science Center for a U.S. Air Force Joint Force Air Component Commander prototype—the first full-scale linguistic geometry software—and the 2004 RAID program for real-time adversarial intelligence. In RAID experiments using OneSAF simulations, teams assisted by linguistic geometry outperformed human-only teams, consistently defeating opponents and deceiving enemy commanders in 44% of cases, akin to passing a Turing test for intelligent warfighting aids. Over 15 years, more than 30 projects transitioned linguistic geometry into U.S. military systems. Key publications include the book Linguistic Geometry: From Search to Construction (2000), Foundations of Linguistic Geometry: Complex Systems and Winning Strategies (1996), A Linguistic Geometry of the Chess Model (1998), The Primary Language of the Human Brain (2017), and Introduction to the Primary Language: Discovering Mysteries of Opposing Games (2018).