ITEC 1010

Information and Organizations

Chapter 11
Artificial Intelligence and
Expert Systems
ITEC 1010
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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
Robotics
Vision
systems
Learning
systems
Natural language
processing
Neural networks
Expert systems

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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
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
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Artificial Intelligence (3)
Gary Kasparov in a chess match.

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.
ITEC 1010
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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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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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Capabilities of Expert Systems
Strategic goal setting
Decision making
Planning
Design
Quality control and monitoring
Diagnosis
Explore impact of strategic goals
Impact of plans on resources
Integrate general design principles and
manufacturing limitations
Provide advise on decisions
Monitor quality and assist in finding solutions
Look for causes and suggest solutions
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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
Schematic
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Inference
engine
Explanation
facility
Knowledge
base
acquisition
facility
User
interface
Knowledge
base
Experts User
ITEC 1010
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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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Determining requirements
Identifying experts
Construct expert system components
Implementing results
Maintaining and reviewing system
Expert Systems Development
Domain
The area of knowledge
addressed by the
expert 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
Domain expert
Knowledge engineer
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
E
a
s
e

o
f

u
s
e

low
high
Before 1980 1980s 1990s
Traditional
programming
languages
Special and 4
th

generation
languages
Expert system
shells
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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
low
high
low high
Development
costs
Time to develop expert system
Use
existing
package
Develop
from
shell
Develop
from
scratch
ITEC 1010
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Applications of Expert Systems
and Artificial Intelligence
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
ITEC 1010
Information and Organizations
End of Chapter 11
Chapter 12