Chapter 11

Artificial Intelligence and

Expert Systems
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Overview of Artificial
Intelligence (1)
Artificial intelligence (AI)
Computers with the ability to mimic or
duplicate the functions of the human brain

Artificial intelligence systems

The people, procedures, hardware, software,
data, and knowledge needed to develop
computer systems and machines that
demonstrate the characteristics of intelligence
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Overview of Artificial
Intelligence (2)
Intelligent behaviour
Learn from experience
Apply knowledge acquired from experience
Handle complex situations
Solve problems when important information is missing
Determine what is important
React quickly and correctly to a new situation
Understand visual images
Process and manipulate symbols
Be creative and imaginative
Use heuristics
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Major Branches of AI (1)

Perceptive system
A system that approximates the way a human sees, hears, and
feels objects

Vision system
Capture, store, and manipulate visual images and pictures
Robotics
Mechanical and computer devices that perform tedious tasks
with high precision

Expert system
Stores knowledge and makes inferences
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Major Branches of AI (2)

Learning system
Computer changes how it functions or reacts to situations
based on feedback

Natural language processing

Computers understand and react to statements and commands
made in a natural language, such as English

Neural network
Computer system that can act like or simulate the functioning
of the human brain
Schematic
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Artificial
intelligence

Vision
systems

Learning
systems

Robotics

Expert systems

Neural networks
Natural language
processing

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Artificial Intelligence (1)

The branch of computer science concerned with making computers
behave like humans. The term was coined in 1956 by John McCarthy
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Artificial intelligence
includes

games playing: programming computers to play games such as

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chess and checkers

expert systems : programming computers to make decisions in real-life
situations (for example, some expert systems help doctors diagnose
diseases based on symptoms)
natural language : programming computers to understand natural
human languages
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Artificial Intelligence (2)

neural networks : Systems that simulate intelligence by attempting

to reproduce the types of physical connections that occur in animal
brains
robotics : programming computers to see and hear and react to
other sensory stimuli

Currently, no computers exhibit full artificial intelligence (that is, are

able to simulate human behavior). The greatest advances have
occurred in the field of games playing. The best computer chess
programs are now capable of beating humans. In May, 1997, an IBM
super-computer called Deep Blue defeated world chess champion Gary
Kasparov in a chess match.
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Artificial Intelligence (3)

In the area of robotics, computers are now widely used in assembly
plants, but they are capable only of very limited tasks. Robots have
great difficulty identifying objects based on appearance or feel, and
they still move and handle objects clumsily.
Natural-language processing offers the greatest potential rewards
because it would allow people to interact with computers without
needing any specialized knowledge. You could simply walk up to a
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Artificial Intelligence (4)

computer and talk to it. Unfortunately, programming computers to
understand natural languages has proved to be more difficult than
originally thought. Some rudimentary translation systems that
translate from one human language to another are in existence, but
they are not nearly as good as human translators. There are also
voice recognition systems that can convert spoken sounds into
written words, but they do not understand what they are writing;
they simply take dictation. Even these systems are quite limited -you must speak slowly and distinctly.
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Artificial Intelligence (5)

In the early 1980s, expert systems were believed to represent the
future of artificial intelligence and of computers in general. To date,
however, they have not lived up to expectations. Many expert
systems help human experts in such fields as medicine and
engineering, but they are very expensive to produce and are helpful
only in special situations.
Today, the hottest area of artificial intelligence is neural networks,
which are proving successful in a number of disciplines such as voice
recognition and natural-language processing.
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Artificial Intelligence (6)

There are several programming languages that are known as AI
languages because they are used almost exclusively for AI
applications. The two most common are LISP and Prolog.

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AI history
1943

McColluch & Pitts: Boolean circuit model of brain

1950

Turings Computing Machinery and Intelligence

1950s

Early AI programs, including Samuels checkers program, Newell

& Simons Logic Theorist, Gelernters Geometric Engine

1956

Dartmouth meeting: Artificial Intelligence adopted

1965

Robinsons complete algorithm for logical reasoning

1966-1974

AI discovers computational complexity

Neural network research almost disappears

1969-1979

Early development of knowledge-based systems

1980-1988

Expert systems boom

1988- 1993

Expert systems bust

1985- 1995

Neural networks return to popularity

1988

Resurgence of probabilistic and decision-theoretic methods

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Expert Systems
Definition:
Expert Systems are interactive computer programs
that use knowledge and inference procedures to
solve problems, in a specific domain, that are
sufficiently complex as to require significant
human expertise for their solution.

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.Expert Systems
Terms:

Knowledge-Based Systems (KBS)

Intelligent Knowledge-Based Systems
Knowledge-Based Expert Systems
Expert Systems

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Overview of Expert Systems

Can
Explain their reasoning or suggested decisions
Display intelligent behavior
Draw conclusions from complex relationships
Provide portable knowledge
Expert system shell
A collection of software packages and tools
used to develop expert systems
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Capabilities of Expert Systems

Strategic goal setting

Impact of plans on resources

Planning

Integrate general design principles and

manufacturing limitations

Design
Decision making
Quality control and monitoring
Diagnosis
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Explore impact of strategic goals

Provide advise on decisions

Monitor quality and assist in finding solutions

Look for causes and suggest solutions

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Criteria for KBS Development

Q: What aspects of my problem area
lends itself to KBS development?
NOT: Will KBS work for my area
Consider KBS only if KBS development is
POSSIBLE, JUSTIFIED, &
APPROPRIATE (see pp 5-6 Notes)
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When to Use an Expert System (1)

Provide a high potential payoff or
significantly reduced downside risk
Capture and preserve irreplaceable human
expertise
Provide expertise needed at a number of
locations at the same time or in a hostile
environment that is dangerous to human
health
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When to Use an Expert System (2)

Provide expertise that is expensive or rare
Develop a solution faster than human
experts can
Provide expertise needed for training and
development to share the wisdom of human
experts with a large number of people

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Components of an
Expert System (1)
Knowledge base
Stores all relevant information, data, rules, cases, and
relationships used by the expert system

Inference engine
Seeks information and relationships from the
knowledge base and provides answers, predictions,
and suggestions in the way a human expert would

Rule
A conditional statement that links given conditions to
actions or outcomes
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Components of an
Expert System (2)
Fuzzy logic
A specialty research area in computer science that
allows shades of gray and does not require everything
to be simply yes/no, or true/false

Backward chaining
A method of reasoning that starts with conclusions and
works backward to the supporting facts

Forward chaining
A method of reasoning that starts with the facts and
works forward to the conclusions
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Schematic

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Explanation
facility

Inference
engine

Knowledge
base

Knowledge
base
acquisition
facility

User
interface

Experts

User

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Rules for a Credit Application

Mortgage application for a loan for $100,000 to $200,000

If there are no previous credits problems, and

If month net income is greater than 4x monthly loan payment, and
If down payment is 15% of total value of property, and
If net income of borrower is > $25,000, and
If employment is > 3 years at same company

Then accept the applications

Else check other credit rules

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Explanation Facility
Explanation facility
A part of the expert system that allows a user
or decision maker to understand how the
expert system arrived at certain conclusions or
results

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Knowledge Acquisition Facility

Knowledge acquisition facility
Provides a convenient and efficient means of
capturing and storing all components of the
knowledge base

Knowledge
base

Knowledge
acquisition
facility

Joe Expert
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Expert Systems Development

Determining requirements

Identifying experts

Construct expert system components

Domain
The area of knowledge
addressed by the
expert system.

Implementing results

Maintaining and reviewing system

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Participants in Expert Systems

Development and Use
Domain expert
The individual or group whose expertise and
knowledge is captured for use in an expert system

Knowledge user
The individual or group who uses and benefits from
the expert system

Knowledge engineer
Someone trained or experienced in the design,
development, implementation, and maintenance of an
expert system
Schematic
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Expert
system

Knowledge engineer
Domain expert
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Knowledge user
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Evolution of Expert Systems

Software
Expert system shell
Collection of software packages & tools to design,
develop, implement, and maintain expert systems

Ease of use

high

low

Traditional
programming
languages

Before 1980
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Special and 4th

generation
languages

1980s

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Expert system
shells

1990s

Advantages of Expert Systems

Easy to develop and modify
The use of satisficing
The use of heuristics
Development by knowledge engineers and
users

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Expert Systems Development

Alternatives
high

Develop
from
shell

Development
costs

low

Develop
from
scratch

Use
existing
package
low

high
Time to develop expert system

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Limitations of Expert Systems

Not widely used or tested

Limited to relatively narrow problems
Cannot readily deal with mixed knowledge
Possibility of error
Cannot refine own knowledge base
Difficult to maintain
May have high development costs
Raise legal and ethical concerns

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Applications of Expert Systems

and Artificial Intelligence

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Credit granting
Information management and retrieval
AI and expert systems embedded in products
Plant layout
Hospitals and medical facilities
Help desks and assistance
Employee performance evaluation
Loan analysis
Virus detection
Repair and maintenance
Shipping
Marketing
Warehouse optimization
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End of Chapter 11
Chapter 12
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Expert Systems
KBES VS. CONVENTIONAL PROGRAMMING
Data Manipulation Vs. Knowledge Manipulation
Separation of Knowledge from the processor
Algorithms Vs. Heuristics
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