What is an expert system?

An expert system is a computer program that uses artificial

intelligence (AI) technologies to simulate the judgment and
behavior of a human or an organization that has expertise and
experience in a particular field.

Expert systems are usually intended to complement, not replace,

human experts.

The concept of expert systems was developed in the 1970s by

computer scientist Edward Feigenbaum, a computer science
professor at Stanford University and founder of Stanford's
Knowledge Systems Laboratory. The world was moving from data
processing to "knowledge processing," Feigenbaum said in a 1988
manuscript. That meant computers had the potential to do more than
basic calculations and were capable of solving complex problems
thanks to new processor technology and computer architectures, he
explained.

How does an expert system work?

Modern expert knowledge systems use machine learning and
artificial intelligence to simulate the behavior or judgment of
domain experts. These systems can improve their performance over
time as they gain more experience, just as humans do.

Expert systems accumulate experience and facts in a knowledge

base and integrate them with an inference or rules engine -- a set of
rules for applying the knowledge base to situations provided to the
program.

The inference engine uses one of two methods for acquiring

information from the knowledge base:
1. Forward chaining reads and processes a set of facts to make a
logical prediction about what will happen next. An example
of forward chaining would be making predictions about the
movement of the stock market.
2. Backward chaining reads and processes a set of facts to reach a
logical conclusion about why something happened. An example
of backward chaining would be examining a set of symptoms to
reach a medical diagnosis.

An expert system relies on having a good knowledge base. Experts

add information to the knowledge base, and nonexperts use the
system to solve complex problems that would usually require a
human expert.

The process of building and maintaining an expert system is

called knowledge engineering. Knowledge engineers ensure that
expert systems have all the necessary information to solve a
problem. They use various knowledge representation
methodologies, such as symbolic patterns, to do this. The system's
capabilities can be enhanced by expanding the knowledge base or
creating new sets of rules.

What are the components of an expert system?

There are three main components of an expert system:

 The knowledge base. This is where the information the expert

system draws upon is stored. Human experts provide facts about
the expert system's particular domain or subject area are
provided that are organized in the knowledge base. The
knowledge base often contains a knowledge acquisition module
 that enables the system to gather knowledge from external
sources and store it in the knowledge base.
 The inference engine. This part of the system pulls relevant
information from the knowledge base to solve a user's problem.
It is a rules-based system that maps known information from the
knowledge base to a set of rules and makes decisions based on
those inputs. Inference engines often include an explanation
module that shows users how the system came to its conclusion.
 The user interface. This is the part of the expert system that end
users interact with to get an answer to their question or problem.

TECHTARGET
Knowledge starts with a human expert (on right side of flow chart) and flows through the expert
system where it is processed so that a nonexpert user (left side) can query the system and receive
an answer.
Applications of expert systems
Expert systems can be effective in specific domains or subject areas
where experts are required to make diagnoses, judgments or
predictions.
These systems have played a large role in many industries, including
the following:

 Financial services, where they make decisions about asset

management, act as robo-advisors and make predictions about
the behavior of various markets and other financial indicators.
 Mechanical engineering, where they troubleshoot complex
electromechanical machinery.
 Telecommunications, where they are used to make decisions
about network technologies used and maintenance of existing
networks.
 Healthcare, where they assist with medical diagnoses.
 Agriculture, where they forecast crop damage.
 Customer service, where they help schedule orders, route
customer requests and solve problems.
 Transportation, where they contribute in a range of areas,
including pavement conditions, traffic light control, highway
design, bus and train scheduling and maintenance, and aviation
flight patterns and air traffic control.
 Law, where automation is starting to be used to deliver legal
services, and to make civil case evaluations and assess product
liability.
Examples of expert systems
Expert systems that are in use include the following examples:

 CaDet (Cancer Decision Support Tool) is used to identify cancer

in its earliest stages.
 DENDRAL helps chemists identify unknown organic
molecules.
 DXplain is a clinical support system that diagnoses various
diseases.
 MYCIN identifies bacteria such as bacteremia and meningitis,
and recommends antibiotics and dosages.
 PXDES determines the type and severity of lung cancer a person
has.
 R1/XCON is an early manufacturing expert system that
automatically selects and orders computer components based on
customer specifications.
Advantages of expert systems
Expert systems have several benefits over the use of human experts:

 Accuracy. Expert systems are not prone to human error or

emotional influence. They make decisions based on defined rules
and facts.
 Permanence. Human experts eventually leave their role, and a
lot of specific knowledge may go with them. Knowledge-based
systems provide a permanent repository for knowledge and
information.
 Logical deduction. Expert systems draw conclusions from
existing facts using various types of rules, such as if-then rules.
 Cost control. Expert systems are relatively inexpensive
compared to the cost of employing human experts. They can
help reach decisions more efficiently, which saves time and cuts
costs.
 Multiple experts. Multiple experts contribute to an expert
system's knowledge base. This provides more knowledge to
draw from and prevents any one expert from skewing the
decision-making.
Challenges of expert systems
Among expert systems' shortcomings are the following:

 Linear thinking. Expert systems lack true problem-solving

ability. One of the advantages of human intelligence is that it can
reason in nonlinear ways and use ancillary information to draw
conclusions.
 Lack of intuition. Human intuition enables people to use
common sense and gut feelings to solve problems. Machines
don't have intuition. And emulating gut-feeling decision-making
using mechanical logic could take much longer than an expert
using intrinsic heuristic knowledge to come to a quick
conclusion.
 Lack of emotion. In some cases -- medical diagnoses, for
example -- human emotion is useful and necessary. For example,
the disclosure of sensitive medical information to a patient
requires emotional intelligence that an expert system may not
have.
 Points of failure. Expert systems are only as good as the quality
of their knowledge base. If they are supplied with inaccurate
information, it can compromise their decisions.

Expert systems require the use of AI to deal with ever growing data
processing demands. Learn about hosting and implementing AI in
the enterprise with this complete guide.
 Difference between Human
expert and Expert system
 Difficulty Level : Basic
 Last Updated : 19 Aug, 2022

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1. Expert System : The other name of expert systems is knowledge

based systems. They are used for the real world problems like expert
quality advice, diagnosis and recommendations. Basically, it is a type of
computer program that is used to simulate the judgement and behavior
of humans or an organization that has an expert knowledge and
experience about the particular field. Building of an expert system
requires a human expert that extract the required knowledge.

Figure – Expert System

2. Human Experts : Human expert is an individual who has capability

of recognizing the things in a superior way. For example: a doctor etc.
 Figure – Human Experts

Difference between Human expert and Expert system :

S.No. Human experts Expert System

Use knowledge in the form of

rules of thumbs or heuristics It process knowledge expressed in the form of
to solve problem in a narrow rules and use symbolic reasoning in narrow
1. domain. domain.

In a human expert we deal

with human brain in which
knowledge exists in a It provide a clear separation of knowledge from
2. compiled form. its processing.

3. It is capable of explaining line Expert system helps in tracing the rules that
of reasoning and providing produced during a solving a problem and also
S.No. Human experts Expert System

explain how a that particular conclusion was

the details. reached and why specific data was needed.

It uses inexact reasoning and

also able to deal with
incomplete, uncertain and It permits inexact reasoning and but able to deal
4. fuzzy information. with incomplete, uncertain and fuzzy data.

It enhances the quality of problem solving by the

It enhances the quality of addition of new rules or by adjusting the old
problem solving because of ones in the knowledge base and when new
years of learning and knowledge is acquired, changes are easy to
5. practical training. observe.

Human expert can be

available at a specific working Expert system can be available wherever and at
6. day. any time.

To solve any problem, human To solve any problem, expert system takes a
7. expert can take variable time. very short interval of time.

8. It is not replaceable. It can be replaceable.

 Difference between AI and Expert
System
 Difficulty Level : Hard
 Last Updated : 25 Jun, 2022

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Artificial Intelligence: AI manages more comprehensive issues of

automating a system. This computerization should be possible by
utilizing any field such as image processing, cognitive science, neural
systems, machine learning, etc. AI manages the making of machines,
frameworks, and different gadgets savvy by enabling them to think and
do errands as all people generally do. 

 Expert System: An expert system is an AI software that uses

knowledge stored in a knowledge base to solve problems that would
usually require a human expert thus preserving a human expert’s
knowledge in its knowledge base. They can advise users as well as
provide explanations to them about how they reached a particular
conclusion or advice.
   

Let’s see the difference between AI and Expert systems:

Artificial Intelligence Expert System

AI is the ability of a machine or a computer Expert systems represent the most

program to think, work, learn and react like successful demonstration of the
humans. capabilities of AI.

AI involves the use of methods based on the Experts systems are computer
intelligent behavior of humans to solve complex programs designed to solve complex
problems. decision problems.

Characteristics of AI- Characteristics of Expert System-

 Facial Recognition  High Efficiency and Accuracy
 Automate Simple and Repetitive Tasks  Highly responsive
 Chatbots  Understandable
 Natural language processing  Reliability
Artificial Intelligence Expert System

 Imitation Of Human Cognition

 Deep Learning
 Cloud Computing

Components of AI:
1. Natural Language Processing (NLP) Components of Expert System:
2. Knowledge representation 1. Inference engine
3. Reasoning 2. Knowledge base
4. Problem solving 3. User interface
5. Machine learning 4. Knowledge acquisition module

Expert system represent the most

AI is the study is systems that act in a way to any successful demonstration of the
observer would appear to be intelligent. capabilities of AI

AI systems are used in a wide range of industries, Expert systems provide expert advice
from healthcare to finance, automotive, data and guidance in a wide variety of
security, etc. activities.

Categories of Problems that can be solved- Categories of Problems that can be

 Look for trends, patterns, and connections. solved-
 Look for inefficiencies.  Using classification and diagnosis
   object is identified based on
   stated qualities. To exemplify,
 Result forecasting on the basis of historical Medical condition diagnosis
trends  Monitoring entails comparing
 Make informed decisions based on facts data to recommended behavior
 Put plans into action. on a regular basis.
 Improve yourself by learning new things.  Prediction: For example,
forecasting the state of the stock
market.
 Configuring a system according
 Artificial Intelligence Expert System

to standards is known as design.

Applications- Applications-
 E-Commerce  Hospitals 
 Education  Medical facilities
 Lifestyle  Help desks management
 Navigation  Loan analysis
 Robotics  Warehouse optimization
 Human Resource  Stock market trading
 Healthcare  Airline scheduling & cargo
 Gaming and others schedules and others

Examples- Natural Language Processing (NLP)

tools, Proactive healthcare management,
Automated financial investing, Virtual travel
booking agents, Self-driving cars, Manufacturing
robots, Conversational marketing bots, and Examples- DENDRAL, MYCIN, and
others. others.

Difference between DSS and

Expert System
 Last Updated : 23 Jun, 2022

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1. Decision Support System (DSS): It’s a computer-based system that

aids the process of decision-making. It is an interactive, flexible and
adaptable computer system. It is specially developed for supporting the
solution of a non-structured management problem for improved
decision-making. DSS is a specific class of computerized information
systems that supports business and organizational decision-making
activities. 
Components of DSS:
 Model Management
 Data Management
 User Interface Management

Advantages:
 It saves time.
 Enhances efficiency
 Reduces the cost
 It improves personal efficiency
 It increases the decision-maker satisfaction.
Disadvantages:
 Information Overload
 Status reduction
 Over-emphasize decision-making.
Types of Decision Support systems are Document-driven, Data-driven,
Knowledge-driven, Model-driven, and Communication-driven.
Applications include medical diagnosis, business management,
agriculture, rail projects, and many more.
Examples: GPS route planning, Crop-planning, ERP dashboards, and
others.
2. Expert System: It is a computer program that is designed to mimic
the decision-making ability of a decision-maker. It organizes a set of
knowledge about a particular subject. It contains facts and judgmental
knowledge which gives it the ability to guess like a human. There are set
of rules on which it makes decisions using an if-else structure. The
inference engine does reasoning by manipulating the knowledge base.
The user interface represents questions and information to the operator
and also receives answers from the operator.
Components of Expert System:
 Knowledge Base
 Knowledge acquisition and learning module
 Inference Engine
 User Interface
 Explanation module
   
Advantages:
 Cost is reduced
 Danger is reduced
 Increases the availability
 Performance
Disadvantages:
 It can make absurd errors if data is entered incorrectly.
 Doesn’t provide a creative response in certain situations.
 It relies on rules and knowledge being correct.
Types of Expert Systems are rule-based expert systems, frame-based
expert systems, fuzzy expert systems, neural expert systems, and neuro-
fuzzy expert systems.
Applications include Help desks and Information management.
Hospitals. Employee performance evaluation. Loan analysis. and many
more.
Examples: MYCIN, DENDRAL, and others.

Difference between DSS and Expert System:

S.
No. DSS Expert System

DSS is an interactive system that An Expert System is a problem-solving

enables decision-makers to solve computer program that excels at a
unstructured or semi-structured particular issue domain that is difficult to
problems by taking help from models solve and takes specialized knowledge
1. and data. and ability.

2. It facilitates decision-making. It automates decision-making.

The decision environment is

3. unstructured. The decision environment has structure.

It extracts or gains knowledge from a Inject expert knowledge into a computer

4. computer system. system.

Alternatives still may not be Alternatives and goals are frequently

5. completely understood. predetermined.

6. Characteristics of the problem In this, it is limited and specialized.

 S.
No. DSS Expert System

domain are complex and broad.

The type of data manipulation is

7. numeric. The type of data manipulation is symbolic.

8. It has limited capacity. It has a full capacity.

It uses goals and system data to

establish alternatives and outcomes, The expert system can eventually replace
9. so a good decision can be made. the human decision-maker.

Agents in Artificial Intelligence

 Difficulty Level : Medium
 Last Updated : 22 Aug, 2022

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Artificial intelligence is defined as the study of rational agents. A

rational agent could be anything that makes decisions, as a person, firm,
machine, or software. It carries out an action with the best outcome after
considering past and current percepts(agent’s perceptual inputs at a
given instance). An AI system is composed of an agent and its
environment. The agents act in their environment. The environment
may contain other agents. 
An agent is anything that can be viewed as : 
 perceiving its environment through sensors and
 acting upon that environment through actuators
Note: Every agent can perceive its own actions (but not always the
effects) 

To understand the structure of Intelligent Agents, we should be familiar

with Architecture and Agent programs. Architecture is the machinery
that the agent executes on. It is a device with sensors and actuators, for
example, a robotic car, a camera, a PC. Agent program is an
implementation of an agent function. An agent function is a map from
the percept sequence(history of all that an agent has perceived to date) to
an action. 
 
Agent = Architecture + Agent Program
 Examples of Agent:
 A software agent has Keystrokes, file contents, received network
packages which act as sensors and displays on the screen, files, sent
network packets acting as actuators.
 A Human-agent has eyes, ears, and other organs which act as
sensors, and hands, legs, mouth, and other body parts acting as
actuators.
 A Robotic agent has Cameras and infrared range finders which act
as sensors and various motors acting as actuators. 
 

Types of Agents
Agents can be grouped into five classes based on their degree of
perceived intelligence and capability :
 Simple Reflex Agents
 Model-Based Reflex Agents
 Goal-Based Agents
 Utility-Based Agents
  Learning Agent
 

Simple reflex agents

Simple reflex agents ignore the rest of the percept history and act only
on the basis of the current percept. Percept history is the history of all
that an agent has perceived to date. The agent function is based on
the condition-action rule. A condition-action rule is a rule that maps a
state i.e, condition to an action. If the condition is true, then the action is
taken, else not. This agent function only succeeds when the environment
is fully observable. For simple reflex agents operating in partially
observable environments, infinite loops are often unavoidable. It may be
possible to escape from infinite loops if the agent can randomize its
actions. 
Problems with Simple reflex agents are : 
 Very limited intelligence.
 No knowledge of non-perceptual parts of the state.
 Usually too big to generate and store.
 If there occurs any change in the environment, then the collection of
rules need to be updated.
 
 

Model-based reflex agents

It works by finding a rule whose condition matches the current situation.

A model-based agent can handle partially observable environments by
the use of a model about the world. The agent has to keep track of
the internal state which is adjusted by each percept and that depends on
the percept history. The current state is stored inside the agent which
maintains some kind of structure describing the part of the world which
cannot be seen. 
Updating the state requires information about : 
 how the world evolves independently from the agent, and
 how the agent’s actions affect the world.
 
 

Goal-based agents

These kinds of agents take decisions based on how far they are currently
from their goal(description of desirable situations). Their every action is
intended to reduce its distance from the goal. This allows the agent a
way to choose among multiple possibilities, selecting the one which
reaches a goal state. The knowledge that supports its decisions is
represented explicitly and can be modified, which makes these agents
more flexible. They usually require search and planning. The goal-based
agent’s behavior can easily be changed. 
 
 

Utility-based agents

The agents which are developed having their end uses as building blocks
are called utility-based agents. When there are multiple possible
alternatives, then to decide which one is best, utility-based agents are
used. They choose actions based on a preference (utility) for each state.
Sometimes achieving the desired goal is not enough. We may look for a
quicker, safer, cheaper trip to reach a destination. Agent happiness
should be taken into consideration. Utility describes how “happy” the
agent is. Because of the uncertainty in the world, a utility agent chooses
the action that maximizes the expected utility. A utility function maps a
state onto a real number which describes the associated degree of
happiness. 
 
Learning Agent :
A learning agent in AI is the type of agent that can learn from its past
experiences or it has learning capabilities. It starts to act with basic
knowledge and then is able to act and adapt automatically through
learning. 
A learning agent has mainly four conceptual components, which are: 
1. Learning element: It is responsible for making improvements by
learning from the environment
2. Critic: The learning element takes feedback from critics which
describes how well the agent is doing with respect to a fixed
performance standard.
3. Performance element: It is responsible for selecting external action
 4. Problem Generator: This component is responsible for suggesting
actions that will lead to new and informative experiences.