Rule-based systems

Reviewer: Giuseppina Carla Gini

This paper illustrates how “rule-based systems automate problem-solving know-how, provide a means for capturing and refining human expertise, and are proving to be commercially viable.” The presentation is intended for a broad audience, and doesn't require much, if any, technical expertise in Artificial Intelligence. Nevertheless, it provides a deep discussion about a method for building “expert systems.” The reader should consider that the material covered takes neither a mathematical nor a practical perspective. Many considerations here derive from psychology; this characterizes the paper and makes it different from many other surveys on expert systems we have seen. The paper can be used as a tutorial, because it explains principles, as well as a survey, because it gives a history of the evolution of the method. The short reference list suggests a few books, rather than papers on specific topics. In conclusion, this paper makes available and clear to everybody, in a very readable form, the results of a long, and sometimes misunderstood, research work. For professionals in the field, it is a good overall presentation.