Specialized Business Information Systems Chapter 7 Chapter 11 discusses specialized information systems used in business, including artificial intelligence, or AI, expert systems, and virtual reality. After studying this chapter, you should be able to address the objectives on the next 3 slides. Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

The Nature of Intelligence Learn from experience & apply the knowledge Deep Blue improves its performance by playing with humans Handle complex situations Traffic problem in Istanbul Solve problems when important information is missing Based on available information Determine what is important Choose which facts to use to compute the solution Humans naturally learn from experience – that is, by trial and error. And humans can apply what they learn to different contexts. Neither trait comes naturally to AI systems – they can only learn and apply what they’ve been programmed to learn – and the programming is difficult. Humans can learn in multiple areas and automatically apply what they learn. Humans are often involved in complex situations. In business, executives face complicated legislation, rapidly changing markets and competition, and many more complexities, yet must make decisions, sometimes quickly, that affect their company’s future. People can make mistakes and learn from them. However, computers can handle only those complex situations that they’re programmed to handle. Humans continually make decisions under uncertainty – that is, with partial or even inaccurate, information. AI systems can handle such situations in many contexts. Everyday humans receive masses of incoming information. People can screen the information and discard irrelevant information – a skill built through experience. Computers are limited by their programming – and it’s not easy to program a computer to know what’s irrelevant. Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

The Nature of Intelligence React quickly and correctly to new situations Requires understanding the new situation Understand visual images Requires perception Process and manipulate symbols Computers are better at dealing with numbers Be creative and imaginative Use heuristics Rules of thumb from experience Humans experience “gut instincts” – like when you walk down a street and “know” you should leave or get hurt. Children know not to touch a flame. Computers have no gut feelings, and can only react quickly to specific stimuli for which they’re programmed. Even state of the art computers have trouble interpreting visual images. When a person sees their reflection in the mirror, they know it’s a reflection and not a clone. When you see people, you look for many clues in dress, grooming, and behavior to determine their gender. Walking down a crowded street is natural even for children. But none of this is natural to computers. Research in the area of perceptive systems – that is, machines that can mimic human hearing, sight, or touch – has progressed and, as we’ll see later in the chapter, some systems have limited recognition ability. Although computers excel at rapidly processing numbers, they’re not so good at processing visual information. Again, they’re limited by their programming. Humans can think of new products and services and create novel objects. Although computers have been used to write poetry or draw, few can yet be considered truly creative. Heuristics are rules of thumb developed through experience. People often use heuristics in decision-making. For instance, if you leave home for work after 7:30 AM, you may choose an alternate route, since experience has shown that by then there is often an accident backing up traffic on your normal route. Or you may ignore the weather forecast of precipitation if the chance is less than 70%, because based on your experience, it rarely rains or snows unless the chance is 70% or higher. Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

A comparison of Natural and Artificial Intelligence Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

A Conceptual Model of Artificial Intelligence Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

What is an Expert System? Hardware and software that contain knowledge and manipulate knowledge by inferences Mycin (Shortliffe 1976): Expert system for medicine Program for advising physicians on treating bacterial infections Question and answer dialogues with user Accounts for uncertainties Explains its reasoning An expert system can explain how it reached a conclusion by showing the path of rules and inferences in its knowledge base that it followed. This is valuable to users of the conclusions. For instance, a physician using an expert system to help diagnose a blood disease could compare the expert system’s reasoning to her own to determine her level of confidence in the system’s conclusion. This is also useful in training novices in an area. For example, a new loan processor making a decision to approve or deny a loan can see the expert system’s reasoning and learn from it. Because an expert’s knowledge is codified in an expert system, expert systems can preserve scarce expertise and give others access to it. Given a data set, an expert system can propose new ideas, which is a characteristic of expert behavior. For example, expert systems can diagnose patients’ conditions from their symptoms or suggest where to drill for oil, based on geologic data and expert knowledge. Expert systems can evaluate complex relationships to reach a conclusion or make a recommendation. Although expert systems generally require a well-structured problem, it can have many complex relationships. The information can be incomplete or somewhat inaccurate, since expert systems can use probabilities and heuristics. Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

Characteristics of an Expert System Can explain their reasoning or suggested decisions Why recommend a certain medicine? Can display “intelligent” behavior Can draw conclusions from complex relationships A patient is diagnosed with two diseases, The cures for the diseases may have conflicts Can provide portable knowledge Capture knowledge in one’s brain Can deal with uncertainty A patient is diagnose without running all the tests An expert system can explain how it reached a conclusion by showing the path of rules and inferences in its knowledge base that it followed. This is valuable to users of the conclusions. For instance, a physician using an expert system to help diagnose a blood disease could compare the expert system’s reasoning to her own to determine her level of confidence in the system’s conclusion. This is also useful in training novices in an area. For example, a new loan processor making a decision to approve or deny a loan can see the expert system’s reasoning and learn from it. Because an expert’s knowledge is codified in an expert system, expert systems can preserve scarce expertise and give others access to it. Given a data set, an expert system can propose new ideas, which is a characteristic of expert behavior. For example, expert systems can diagnose patients’ conditions from their symptoms or suggest where to drill for oil, based on geologic data and expert knowledge. Expert systems can evaluate complex relationships to reach a conclusion or make a recommendation. Although expert systems generally require a well-structured problem, it can have many complex relationships. The information can be incomplete or somewhat inaccurate, since expert systems can use probabilities and heuristics. Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

Characteristics of an Expert System Not widely used or tested Limited to relatively narrow problems Cannot readily deal with “mixed” knowledge Expert systems should talk to each other Cannot refine its own knowledge Should be able to keep a consistent knowledgebase Should have a way to gain new knowledge May have high development costs Raise legal and ethical concerns Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

When to Use Expert Systems High payoff Preserve scarce expertise Provide more consistency than humans Faster solutions than humans Training expertise Since expert systems can be difficult and expensive to develop, they should be used where they can be most beneficial. This slide summarizes situations where expert systems have been shown to be worth implementing. Clearly, when there is a high potential payoff, or when the expertise is needed at a place dangerous to humans, it makes sense to develop the expert system. It is generally also worthwhile to develop an expert system to capture and preserve expertise that not many people have, that is expensive, or that can’t be duplicated in other ways. Also, an expert system is called for when this kind of scarce expertise is needed in many locations at once. No matter how hard they try, people cannot be 100% consistent – they tire, have bad moods, or are distracted. Where consistency is needed – say in loan approval – investing in an expert system may be worthwhile. In complex tasks, such as configuring large computer installations, it may take humans too long to do the job for the company to be competitive. Using an expert system to complete the task quicker than your competition would be wise. And finally, sharing scarce expertise or training others in the area, is a solid use of expert systems. Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

Components of an Expert System Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

The Relationships Among Data, Information, and Knowledge Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

Rules for a Credit Application Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

The Knowledge Acquisition Facility Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition Knowledge Base Assembling human experts Combine knowledge from several experts Disagree on many items The use of fuzzy logic For relations that are not precise Is a 50-year old man old? Help computers deal with imprecise knowledge Ex: Washing machines; Auto-focus cameras Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition Knowledge Base The use of rules Rule: Conditional statement (if … then) If the condition matches, the action fires More rules generally mean more precision The use of cases Template of problems or situations To find the solution of a new case, find similar old cases and apply result Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition Inference Engine (1) Use information and relations to derive new facts to solve problems or predict possible outcomes Main reasoning component Find the right facts, apply the right relations, etc. Ex: Facts: male(Ali), female(Oya) Relations: father(X, Y) => male(X) The engine can conclude that Oya cannot be a father. Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition Inference Engine (2) Backward chaining You start with conclusions You want to find out if you can get to the conclusion from your facts Forward chaining You start with facts and try to reach conclusions More expensive since it can generate many conclusions Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition Other Components Explanation Facility Enables the expert system to explain its reasoning Helps the user to judge the expert system Knowledge Acquisition Facility Get and update knowledge Provide a way to capture and store knowledge Can be semi-automated User Interface Help users interact with the system Improve usability Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

Expert Systems Development Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

Participants in Developing and Using Expert Systems Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition Domain Expert Recognize the real problem Develop a general framework for problem solving Formulate theories about the situation Develop and use general rules to solve a problem Know when to break the rules or general principles Solve problems quickly and efficiently Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition Other participants Knowledge Engineer Works in design and implementation of the expert system Has considerable information about expert systems Knowledge User End user who will benefit from the system No need to know anything about expert systems Can help in testing Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

Expert Systems Development Alternatives Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

Applications of Expert System and Artificial Intelligence Credit granting and loan analysis Stock Picking Catching cheats and terrorists NORA (Non-obvious Relationship Awareness) Budgeting Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

Applications of Expert System and Artificial Intelligence Games: Proverb solves crossword puzzles Writing: Evaluate and rate writings Information management and retrieval Virus detection Learns the actions of a virus Hospitals and medical facilities Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition 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 Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition Interface Devices Head mounted display (HMD) Binocular Omni-Orientation Monitor (BOOM) CAVE Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

The BOOM, a Head-Coupled Display Device Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

Viewing the Detroit Midfield Terminal in an Immersive CAVE System Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition 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 Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition Segway Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition Robotics Mechanical or computer devices that can move autonomously Manufacturers use robots to assemble or paint products Asimo in Istanbul: Shake hands, dance Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAVs): Identify and destroy targets without human intervention Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition Vision Systems Capture, store, manipulate visual images Fingerprint analysis: Store a database of fingerprints and information about the owners. Match a fingerprint with an existing entry in the database Mostly recognize black and white Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

Natural Language Processing Understand and react to statements in natural language Three levels of understanding Commands Discrete Continuous Talk to a computer; computer converts languages to commands understandable by computers Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition Learning Systems Change its behavior over time Computer takes an action User gives feedback Based on the feedback, computer modifies its action First train the system; then try on test data Amazon.com learns user models as users browse and buy goods Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition Summary Artificial intelligence - used to describe computers with ability to mimic or duplicate functions of the human brain Intelligent behavior - includes the ability to learn from experience Expert systems - can explain their reasoning (or suggested decisions) and display intelligent behavior Virtual reality system - enables one or more users to move and react in a computer-simulated environment Special-purpose systems - assist organizations and individuals in new and exciting ways Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

Principles and Learning Objectives Artificial intelligence systems form a broad and diverse set of systems that can replicate human decision making for certain types of well-defined problems. Define the term artificial intelligence and state the objective of developing artificial intelligence systems. List the characteristics of intelligent behavior and compare the performance of natural and artificial intelligence systems for each of these characteristics. Identify the major components of the artificial intelligence field and provide one example of each type of system. The field of artificial intelligence includes several different types of systems that replicate or mimic functions of the human brain. Although artificial systems are better at some things than are humans, humans surpass machines at others. Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

Principles and Learning Objectives Expert systems can enable a novice to perform at the level of an expert but must be developed and maintained very carefully. List the characteristics and basic components of expert systems. Outline and briefly explain the steps for developing an expert system. Identify the benefits associated with the use of expert systems. Expert systems are a type of artificial intelligence that is widely used in business. Expert systems provide novices with the capabilities of an expert. Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition

Principles and Learning Objectives Virtual reality systems have the potential to reshape the interface between people and information technology by offering new ways to communicate information creatively. Define the term virtual reality and provide three examples of virtual reality applications. Special-purpose systems can help organizations and individuals achieve their goals. Discuss examples of special-purpose systems for organizational and individual use. Virtual reality systems offer a new, highly-interactive, three-dimensional interface between computers and people. Virtual reality applications have begun to spread through businesses. Fundamentals of Information Systems, Second Edition