This editorial introduces the special topic articles on reflections on successful research in artificial intelligence. Consisting of a combination of interviews and full-length articles, the special topic articles examine the meaning of success and metrics of success from a variety of perspectives. Our editorial team is especially excited about this topic, because we are in an era when several of the aspirations of early artificial intelligence researchers and futurists seem to be within reach of the general public. This has spurred us to reflect on, and re-examine, our social and scientific motivations for promoting the use of artificial intelligence in governments, enterprises, and in our lives.