Chapter 7 Specialized Business Information Systems

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Chapter 7 Specialized Business Information
Systems
Updated 03/28/05
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Objectives

• Define artificial intelligence systems.
• Describe how expert systems enhance human
  performance.
• Explain the potential of virtual reality systems.
• Discuss special-purpose systems

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Artificial Intelligence
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What is artificial intelligence?

• The ability of computers to mimic or duplicate
  the functions of the human brain.
• AI systems consist of
• People
• Procedures
• Hardware
• Software
• Data
• Knowledge
• Demonstrate the characteristics of intelligence

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What is intelligence?

• Learn from experience apply the knowledge
• Handle complex situations
• Solve problems when important information is
  missing
• Determine what is important
• React quickly and correctly to new situations
• Understand visual images (perceptive system)
• Process and manipulate symbols
• Be creative and imaginative
• Use heuristics (rules of thumb)

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Natural vs Artificial Intelligence
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Conceptual Model of AI
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Conceptual Model of AI
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Expert Systems
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What is an Expert System?

• Hardware and software that store knowledge and
  make inferences, similar to the human brain.

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Expert System Characteristics
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Expert System When to Use

• Provide a high potential payoff or significantly
  reduce downside risk
• Capture and preserve irreplaceable human
  expertise
• Provide expertise at a number of locations at the
  same time
• Provide expertise in a hostile environment
  dangerous to humans
• Provide expertise that is rare or expensive
• Provide more consistency than humans
• Develop solutions faster than human experts
• Provide expertise for training and development
  with a large number of people

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Relationships Among Data, Information, and
Knowledge
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Components of an Expert System
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Knowledge Base

• Unique in each application
• Purpose stores relevant information, data,
  rules, cases, and relationships used.
• Experts knowledge and experience of people
• Fuzzy logic provides gray area to logic
• Rules conditional statements (if-then) that
  provide actions or outcomes.
• Cases use of past situations to make decisions

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Inference Engine

• Seeks information and relationships from
  knowledge base and provides answers, predictions,
  and suggestions.
• Backward chaining starts with conclusion and
  works backwards
• Forward chaining starts with facts and works
  towards conclusion
• Comparison
• Forward chaining can provide more information,
  but is slower.
• Combinations are sometimes used.

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Expert Systems Development
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Participants in Developing and Using Expert
Systems
Designs, develops, implements and maintains
Individual/group with Knowledge/expertise
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Expert Systems Development Alternatives
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Applications of Expert System and Artificial
Intelligence

• Credit granting and loan analysis
• Stock Picking
• Catching cheats and terrorists
• Budgeting
• Information management and retrieval
• Games
• Virus detection
• Hospitals and medical facilities

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Virtual Reality
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What is Virtual Reality?

• Enables one or more users to move and react in a
  computer-simulated environment
• Immersive virtual reality - user becomes fully
  immersed in an artificial, three-dimensional
  world that is completely generated by a computer
• Virtual reality system - enables one or more
  users to move and react in a computer-simulated
  environment

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Devices

• Head mounted display (HMD)
• Binocular Omni-Orientation Monitor (BOOM)
• CAVE
• Haptic interface

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Useful Applications

• Medicine used to link stroke patients to
  physical therapists
• Education and training used by military for
  aircraft maintenance
• Entertainment
• Star Wars Episode II Attack of the Clones
• Real Estate Marketing and Tourism
• Used to increase real estate sales
• Virtual reality tour of the White House

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Summary

• Artificial intelligence (AI) ability of
  computers to mimic or duplicate the functions of
  the human brain
• Artificial intelligence systems consist of
  people, procedures, hardware, software, data, and
  knowledge needed to develop computer systems and
  machines that demonstrate the characteristics of
  intelligence
• Expert system computer system that stores
  knowledge and makes inferences, similar to a
  human expert

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Summary (continued)

• Robotics mechanical or computer devices that
  perform tasks requiring a high degree of
  precision or that are tedious or hazardous for
  humans
• Vision systems computer system that permits
  computers to capture, store, and manipulate
  visual images and pictures
• Natural language processing allows the computer
  to understand and react to statements and
  commands made in a natural language, such as
  English

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Summary (continued)

• Learning system computer system that allows the
  computer to change how it functions or reacts to
  situations based on feedback it receives
• Neural network computer system that can simulate
  the functioning of a human brain
• Virtual reality system enables one or more users
  to move and react in a computer-simulated
  environment