expert systems

[Bill Crosbie]

>> I am looking for URLs and listgroups concerning  the topic of "expert 
>> systems in libraries".
>> I know that expert systems are not a good topic for this listgroup but could 
>> anybody help me?

>OK.  I've heard this term bandied about for around four years now but I 
>still don't have any clue as to what the heck "expert systems" are.  
>Maybe it was something taught in all the systems courses that I never 
>took when I was a humanities major... :)


Expert systems is a term originating in early Artificial Intelligence (AI)
research.  AI researchers have tried (are trying) many different approaches
to modeling intelligent behavior.  Some model simple organisms, some try to
deal with computer vision and robotics, and others deal with "expert systems".

The goal of expert systems researchers is to encompass a body of knowledge
about a limited field in a database.  Then users of the system could
interact with the system as if he/she were talking to an expert in that
field.  Ideally a natural language processor would be used at the front end
so that users could type a general question and the system would interpret
what the user wanted.  (Or I guess, ideally, the user could speak the
request and have the computer understand his voice.)

That's it in a nutshell, from a self proclaimed nut.  :-)