Genetic algorithms are easily applicable to many problems, and are a good research topic for those interested. A little boring to work with, most genetic algorithms punch out huge lists of numbers. Commercial robotics is starting to take off. Robotics a good field to look at since it is scaled from the simplest programmable robot to ultra-complex research robots. If you want to start with robotics take a look at How to Get Started with Robotics .
Robots are fun to play with, fun to program and can be both practical and entertaining.
You can quite easily apply any of the other AI paradigms such as neural networks and genetic algorithms to the programming aspect. Bad Points Will require some form of electrical knowledge. This is both a good point and a bad point. If you have never soldered something before, but want to jump into some cool robots, then chances are you will be quite limited as to what you can achieve. If you take the time out to learn and understand the electrical theory behind the robots you are building this can be an invaluable asset later on.