The Knowledge Level in Expert Systems

"The Knowledge Level in Expert Systems: Conversations and Commentary" is a record of the discussions of twelve of the world's leading Artificial Intelligence (AI) researchers at a workshop which took place in Portugal in 1988. The book offers keen insight into the foundations of AI in a wide range of disciplines through the astute observation, experience, and interaction of the participants. The book preserves the conversational tone of the workshop, making for a lively and interesting read: the reader is right there as the participants argue, laugh, and explore in depth issues at the philosophical heart of the field. The workshop traces the shift in expert systems to a knowledge level perspective, and the participants argue intensely about the profound issues involved in understanding the activity of problem-solving and how to use that understanding to build knowledge-based systems.
In addition to examining the practical issues of building rule-based expert systems the discussions touch on some of the deepest issues in AI and cognitive science today, such as the representation and use of "deep" qualitative models, the role of general problem solving architectures, the validity of the behaviour-based approach to AI, and the problem of common sense and how it can be handled by building large knowledge bases. An index of themes at the beginning of the book provides direction for the reader and makes the book useful as a resource tool. A capstone chapter by the editors pulls together the underlying themes and relates the substance of the discussions to current research. These elements enhance the reader's ability to follow the discussion and reap the benefits of watching a research team in a true workshop environment. In all The Knowledge Level in Expert Systems: Conversations and Commentary offers a well-compiled account of a rare and challenging exchange that should prove useful to anyone interested in the field.