Expert Systems - An Extract from My 1st Seminar.

Extract from my 10 year older seminar on Expert Systems - an Artificial Intelligence Technology. I won 1st Prize in 3rd year symposium. Then, later I continued & extended the same as my final year compulsory seminar. Just Blogging it to my blog.

What is AI ?

In all science fiction movies, we see machines talking and acting like a real human!

Well , That's not really a fiction, coz such machine exists ! Not at such sophisticated level at which they are shown, but the seeds of those capabilities do indeed exist today in research laboratories, and some of the technologies are becoming commercial realities. The scientists and business people who are investigating the potential of these new technologies are working in several different fields, but those fields often are grouped together under a common heading: "Artificial Intelligence".

Technically speaking AI is defined as "Artificial intelligence is the part of computer science concerned with designing intelligent computer systems, that is, systems that exhibit the characteristics we associate with intelligence in human behavior."

Introduction to Expert System

Human experts in any fields are frequently in great demand and are, therefore in short supply. One solution to this dilemma is the Expert System, an AI computer program specially designed to represent human expertise in a particular domain (area of expertise).

Now, an Expert system is a computer program designed to act as an expert in a particular domain (area of expertise). Also known as knowledge based system, an Expert system typically includes a sizeable knowledge base, consisting of fact about domain and rules for applying those facts. Expert system currently is designed to assist experts, not to replace them. Expert systems act as an intelligent assistant to human experts as well as assisting people who otherwise might not have access to expertise.

Expert system can help meet the following needs: -

• Expertise,
  
• Knowledge,
  
• Competence,
  
• New approaches to business organization and productivity.
  

Expert system must not be confused with database programs. Although both Expert system and database programs feature the retrieval of stored information, the two types of programs differs greatly. In medicine, for example, a database program might be useful for enumerating the symptoms of various illnesses; while an expert system might help to diagnose an illness, determine its causes and suggest programs for treatment. Database program cannot draw conclusions by reasoning about the facts in its domain, users of a database programs are expected to draw their own conclusions. In contrast, Expert systems contain expertise, consisting of both declarative and procedural knowledge, which allows emulating the reasoning processes of human experts.

Expert systems have proven to be useful in diverse area such as medical diagnosis, chemical analysis, geological exploration and computer system configuration. As one of the first AI technologies to help solve important problems, the expert systems field has become imbued with a certain mystique, a high tech aura that illuminates the field and, at the same time, discourages closer examination. Expert system holds much promise, but they also have been subjected to a great deal of 'hype' as they have moved into the commercial marketplace.