Computer problem-solving programs with a very narrow scope dealing only with problems in a limited domain of knowledge.
A group of rules that outlines a reasoning process. The rules are statements made by experts in a given field of expertise. The system is applied to a database and results in deductions being made. Expert systems often revolve around a computer program that elicits answers from a non-expert operator (acquisition of data), and then applies the previously stored rules (embedded in the software) to this new data to come up with a conclusion. An expert system might be used in a bank, for example, to ask a clerk to enter certain relevant information from a loan applicant into its database, and then have the expert system decide whether or not the applicant qualifies for a loan given the bank’s rules. In health care, an expert system could accept a patient’s medical history and symptoms, and then apply this data to stored rules to suggest possible diagnoses. See also Problem Knowledge Couplers.
A computer program using a set of rules that analyzes information and simulates the judgment and behavior of a specialist in a particular field to provide analysis and to possibly recommend a course of action.