Introduction to

Expert Systems

Expert Systems: Principles and

Programming
 Objectives
• Learn the meaning of an expert system
• Understand the problem domain and knowledge
domain
• Learn the advantages of an expert system
• Understand the stages in the development of an
expert system
• Examine the general characteristics of an expert
system

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 Objectives
• Examine earlier expert systems which have given
rise to today’s knowledge-based systems
• Explore the applications of expert systems in use
today
• Examine the structure of a rule-based expert
system
• Learn the difference between procedural and
nonprocedural paradigms
• What are the characteristics of artificial neural
systems
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 What is an expert system?

“An expert system is a computer system that

emulates, or acts in all respects, with the
decision-making capabilities of a human expert.”

Professor Edward Feigenbaum

Stanford University

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Fig 1.1 Areas of Artificial
Intelligence

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 Expert system technology
may include:
• Special expert system languages – CLIPS

• Programs

• Hardware designed to facilitate the

implementation of those systems

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Expert System Main Components

• Knowledge base – obtainable from books,

magazines, knowledgeable persons, etc.

• Inference engine – draws conclusions from the

knowledge base

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Figure 1.2 Basic Functions
of Expert Systems

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 Problem Domain vs. Knowledge
Domain
• An expert’s knowledge is specific to one problem
domain – medicine, finance, science,
engineering, etc.
• The expert’s knowledge about solving specific
problems is called the knowledge domain.
• The problem domain is always a superset of the
knowledge domain.

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 Figure 1.3 Problem and
Knowledge Domain Relationship

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Advantages of Expert Systems
• Increased availability
• Reduced cost
• Reduced danger
• Performance
• Multiple expertise
• Increased reliability

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 Advantages Continued
• Explanation

• Fast response

• Steady, unemotional, and complete responses at

all times

• Intelligent tutor

• Intelligent database

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 Representing the Knowledge

The knowledge of an expert system can be

represented in a number of ways, including IF-
THEN rules:

IF you are hungry THEN eat

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 Knowledge Engineering

The process of building an expert system:

1. The knowledge engineer establishes a dialog

with the human expert to elicit knowledge.
2. The knowledge engineer codes the knowledge
explicitly in the knowledge base.
3. The expert evaluates the expert system and
gives a critique to the knowledge engineer.

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Development of an Expert System

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 The Role of AI
• An algorithm is an ideal solution guaranteed to
yield a solution in a finite amount of time.
• When an algorithm is not available or is
insufficient, we rely on artificial intelligence
(AI).
• Expert system relies on inference – we accept a
“reasonable solution.”

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 Uncertainty
• Both human experts and expert systems must be
able to deal with uncertainty.
• It is easier to program expert systems with
shallow knowledge than with deep knowledge.
• Shallow knowledge – based on empirical and
heuristic knowledge.
• Deep knowledge – based on basic structure,
function, and behavior of objects.

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Limitations of Expert Systems
• Typical expert systems cannot generalize through
analogy to reason about new situations in the way
people can.

• A knowledge acquisition bottleneck results from

the time-consuming and labor intensive task of
building an expert system.

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 Early Expert Systems
• DENDRAL – used in chemical mass
spectroscopy to identify chemical constituents
• MYCIN – medical diagnosis of illness
• DIPMETER – geological data analysis for oil
• PROSPECTOR – geological data analysis for
minerals
• XCON/R1 – configuring computer systems

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Table 1.3 Broad Classes
of Expert Systems

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 Problems with Algorithmic
Solutions
• Conventional computer programs generally solve
problems having algorithmic solutions.

• Algorithmic languages include C, Java, and C#.

• Classical AI languages include LISP and

PROLOG.

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 Considerations for Building
Expert Systems
• Can the problem be solved effectively by
conventional programming?
• Is there a need and a desire for an expert system?
• Is there at least one human expert who is willing
to cooperate?
• Can the expert explain the knowledge to the
knowledge engineer can understand it.
• Is the problem-solving knowledge mainly
heuristic and uncertain?
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 Languages, Shells, and Tools
• Expert system languages are post-third
generation.
• Procedural languages (e.g., C) focus on
techniques to represent data.
• More modern languages (e.g., Java) focus on data
abstraction.
• Expert system languages (e.g. CLIPS) focus on
ways to represent knowledge.

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 Expert systems Vs
conventional programs I

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 Expert systems Vs
conventional programs II

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 Expert systems Vs
conventional programs III

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Elements of an Expert System
• User interface – mechanism by which user and
system communicate.
• Exploration facility – explains reasoning of
expert system to user.
• Working memory – global database of facts used
by rules.
• Inference engine – makes inferences deciding
which rules are satisfied and prioritizing.

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 Elements Continued
• Agenda – a prioritized list of rules created by the
inference engine, whose patterns are satisfied by
facts or objects in working memory.
• Knowledge acquisition facility – automatic way
for the user to enter knowledge in the system
bypassing the explicit coding by knowledge
engineer.
• Knowledge Base – includes the rules of the
expert system

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 Production Rules
• Knowledge base is also called production
memory.

• Production rules can be expressed in IF-THEN

pseudocode format.

• In rule-based systems, the inference engine

determines which rule antecedents are satisfied
by the facts.
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 Figure 1.6 Structure of a
Rule-Based Expert System

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Rule-Based ES

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Example Rules

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Inference Engine Cycle

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