Page 265 - DCAP310_INTRODUCTION_TO_ARTIFICIAL_INTELLIGENCE_AND_EXPERT_SYSTEMS

Unit 14: Types of Learning

Knowledge Base: A store of factual and heuristic knowledge. An ES tool provides one or Notes
more knowledge representation schemes for expressing knowledge about the application
domain. Some tools use both frames (objects) and IF-THEN rules. In Prolog, the knowledge
is represented as logical statements.

Reasoning Engine: Inference mechanisms for manipulating the symbolic information and
knowledge in the knowledge base to form a line of reasoning in solving a problem. The
inference mechanism can range from simple modus ponens backward chaining of IF-
THEN rules to case-based reasoning.

Knowledge Acquisition Subsystem: A subsystem to help experts build knowledge bases.
Collecting knowledge needed to solve problems and build the knowledge base continues
to be the biggest bottleneck in building expert systems.

Explanation Subsystem: A subsystem that explains the system’s actions. The explanation
can range from how the final or intermediate solutions were arrived at to justifying the
need for additional data.
User Interface: The means of communication with the user. The user interface is generally
not a part of the ES technology, and was not given much attention in the past. However, it
is now widely accepted that the user interface can make a critical difference in the perceived
utility of a system regardless of the system’s performance.

14.4.2 Market Trends

Tablets, mobile applications and social user experiences are set to dominate the technology
landscape in 2012, according to market analyst Gartner. The addition of sensors and intelligence
into everyday consumer devices, growing application stores, next-generation analytics, big
data, in-memory computing, extreme low-energy servers and cloud computing are also trends
that will make their way into the mainstream during 2012 and beyond. Early adopters and avid
technology fans have already had their eyes (and fingers) on many of these emerging trends
throughout 2011 but Gartner predicts that these ten trends will have a significant impact on the
enterprise in the years ahead. “The user interface (IU) paradigm in place for more than 20 years
is changing. UIs with windows, icons, menus, and pointers will be replaced by mobile-centric
interfaces emphasizing touch, gesture, search, voice and video,” says Gartner. Context-aware
computing is also set to get a boost - that’s great news for consumers as the focus will be placed
on them and their needs. “A contextually aware system anticipates the user’s needs and proactively
serves up the most appropriate and customized content, product or service,” explains Gartner.
2012 will be all about “The Internet of Things” – giving users the ability to interact with physical
items and to track every element of their lives. This will be achieved by integrating technology
such as sensors, Near Field Communication (NFC), artificial intelligence and image recognition
into everyday objects and connecting them to the web.
Self Assessment

State whether the following statements are true or false:
7. The core components of expert systems are the knowledge base and the reasoning engine.
8. The user interface is generally a part of the ES technology.

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