Artificial Intelligence and the Management Science Practitioner: One Definition of Knowledge-Based Expert Systems

Over the past two years we have attempted, through our writing and the writing of others, to convey to the management science practitioner the value of integrating knowledge-based expert system (KBES) techniques with MS/OR techniques. We firmly believe this will lead to successful applications. We employed this combination to successfully build an application system, called LMS, to monitor and control the IBM semiconductor facility in Essex Junction, Vermont [Feigenbaum, McCorduck, and Nii 1988; Fordyce and Sullivan 1989]. We often find in our work a need for a definition of KBES that does not involve techniques or products. What follows is our present definition of KBES. We are sure it is not the last word on the subject, but we think readers will find it helpful.