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ICS 2405

KNOWLEDGE BASED SYSTEMS

ASSIGNMENT1

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Peter Karanja Ndung'u - BIT-008-0104/2009
Sylvia Indoshi Kasiti – BIT-008-0064/2009
Eric Nyaga Mugo – BIT 008-0070/2009
Hassan Hussein Dima – BIT 008-0099/2009
Linda Aketch

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Outline the modern history of AI

Early work in AI focused on using cognitive and biological models to simulate and
explain human information processing skills, on "logical" systems that perform common-
sense and expert reasoning, and on robots that perceive and interact with their
environment. This early work was spurred by visionary funding from the Defense
Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Office of Naval Research (ONR),
which began on a large scale in the early 1960's and continues to this day. Basic AI
research support from DARPA and ONR - as well as support from NSF, NIH, AFOSR,
NASA, and the U.S. Army beginning in the 1970's - led to theoretical advances and to
practical technologies for solving military, scientific, medical, and industrial information
processing problems.

By the early 1980's an "expert systems" industry had emerged, and Japan and Europe
dramatically increased their funding of AI research. In some cases, early expert systems
success led to inflated claims and unrealistic expectations: while the technology
produced many highly effective systems, it proved very difficult to identify and encode
the necessary expertise. The field did not grow as rapidly as investors had been led to
expect, and this translated into some temporary disillusionment. AI researchers
responded by developing new technologies, including streamlined methods for eliciting
expert knowledge, automatic methods for learning and refining knowledge, and
common sense knowledge to cover the gaps in expert information. These technologies
have given rise to a new generation of expert systems that are easier to develop,
maintain, and adapt to changing needs.

Today developers can build systems that meet the advanced information processing
needs of government and industry by choosing from a broad palette of mature
technologies. Sophisticated methods for reasoning about uncertainty and for coping
with incomplete knowledge have led to more robust diagnostic and planning systems.
Hybrid technologies that combine symbolic representations of knowledge with more
quantitative representations inspired by biological information processing systems have
resulted in more flexible, human-like behavior. AI ideas also have been adopted by
other computer scientists - for example, "data mining," which combines ideas from
databases, AI learning, and statistics to yield systems that find interesting patterns in
large databases, given only very broad guidelines.

AI is multidisciplinary. Discuss

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a multidisciplinary field. It encompasses such diverse fields

as computer science, philosophy, and psychology. The aim of AI is to replicate human
reasoning and brain activity. The use of AI can improve decision making by enhancing
consistency. It helps distribute expertise to non-expert staff. The company retains that
expertise even when staff members leave the organization.

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AI in computer science
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the area of computer science focusing on creating machines
that can engage on behaviors that humans consider intelligent. The ability to create
intelligent machines has intrigued humans since ancient times and today with the
advent of the computer and 50 years of research into AI programming techniques, the
dream of smart machines is becoming a reality. Researchers are creating systems
which can mimic human thought, understand speech, beat the best human chess
player, and countless other feats never before possible.

AI in business
Today's business world is driven by customer demand. Unfortunately, the patterns of
demand vary considerably from period to period. This is why it can be so challenging to
develop accurate forecasts. Forecasting is the process of estimating future events, and
it is fundamental to all aspects of management. The goals of forecasting are to reduce
uncertainty and to provide benchmarks for monitoring actual performance. Emerging
information technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques are being used to
improve the accuracy of forecasts and thus making a positive contribution to enhancing
the bottom line.

AI in neuroscience and systems biology

The human brain is the best example of intelligence known, with unsurpassed ability for
complex, real-time interaction with a dynamic world.
Experts have programs designed to develop improved computational models of human
cognition that could be used to create improved artificial algorithms for machine
perception, reasoning, learning, and intelligence.
They are faced with a number of automation challenges, which include creating
autonomous systems that can perform reliably without constant human intervention as
well as building advanced military intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance
systems.

Briefly explain any 5 applications of AI

1. Finance
Banks Credit card providers, telephone companies, mortgage lenders, banks,
and the U.S. Government employ AI systems to detect fraud and expedite
financial transactions, with daily transaction volumes in the billions. These
systems first use learning algorithms to construct profiles of customer usage
patterns, and then use the resulting profiles to detect unusual patterns and take
the appropriate action (e.g., disable the credit card). Such automated oversight of
financial transactions is an important component in achieving a viable basis for
electronic commerce.

2. Diagnosis and treating problems

Systems that diagnose and treat problems - whether illnesses in people or
problems in hardware and software - are now in widespread use. Diagnostic

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systems based on AI technology are being built into photocopiers, computer
operating systems, and office automation tools to reduce service calls. Stand-
alone units are being used to monitor and control operations in factories and
office buildings. AI-based systems assist physicians in many kinds of medical
diagnosis, in prescribing treatments, and in monitoring patient responses.
Microsoft's Office Assistant, an integral part of every Office 97 application,
provides users with customized help by means of decision-theoretic reasoning.

3. Heavy Industry
Robots have become common in many industries. They are often given jobs that
are considered dangerous to humans. Robots have proven effective in jobs that
are very repetitive which may lead to mistakes or accidents due to a lapse in
concentration and other jobs which humans may find degrading. General Motors
Corporation uses around 16,000 robots for tasks such as painting, welding, and
assembly. Japan is the leader in using and producing robots in the world. In
1995, 700,000 robots were in use worldwide; over 500,000 of which were from
Japan

4. Aviation
Air lines use expert systems in planes to monitor atmospheric conditions and
system status. The plane can be put on auto pilot once a course is set for the
destination.

5. Music
With AI, scientists are trying to make the computer emulate the activities of the
skillful musician. Composition, performance, music theory, sound processing are
some of the major areas on which research in Music and Artificial Intelligence are
focusing.

References:

http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/novak/cs381kcontents.htm
http://www-formal.stanford.edu/jmc/whatisai/node3.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Applications_of_artificial_intelligence
http://library.thinkquest.org/2705/