Knowledge-Based Systems

The tools of artificial intelligence (AI) can be divided into two broad types: knowledge-based systems (KBSs) and computational intelligence (CI). KBSs use explicit representations of knowledge in the form of words and symbols. This explicit representation makes the knowledge more easily read and understood by a human than the numerically derived implicit models in computational intelligence. KBSs include techniques such as rule-based, modelbased, and case-based reasoning. They were among the first forms of investigation into AI and remain a major theme. Early research focused on specialist applications in areas such as chemistry, medicine, and computer hardware. These early successes generated great optimism in AI, but more broad-based representations of human intelligence have remained difficult to achieve.