Unit 4: AI domains and applications
Artificial Intelligence notes · PTU syllabus (UGCC2521)
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Unit summary
AI is now a family of fields. This unit introduces machine learning, computer vision, robotics, natural language processing and deep neural networks, explains the architecture of expert systems with case studies, and discusses the legal and ethical issues raised by AI.
After this unit you can
- Describe the major domains of AI
- Explain the architecture of an expert system
- Discuss expert system case studies
- Analyse legal and ethical issues in AI
PTU syllabus topics
- Introduction to machine learning
- computer vision
- robotics
- natural language processing and deep neural networks
- expert system architecture with case studies
- legal and ethical issues in AI
Machine learning
Learning patterns from data
Computer vision
Understanding images and video
NLP
Understanding human language
Robotics
Acting in the physical world
Expert systems
Rule-based reasoning
Topic 1
AI domains
| Domain | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Machine learning | Learns patterns from data | Spam filters, recommendations |
| Computer vision | Understands images and video | Face unlock, medical imaging |
| Robotics | Machines that sense and act physically | Warehouse robots, drones |
| Natural language processing | Understands and generates human language | Chatbots, translation |
| Deep neural networks | Many-layered networks learning complex features | Image recognition, large language models |
Topic 2
Expert systems
An expert system is an AI program that solves problems in a specific domain at the level of a human expert, using a knowledge base of facts and rules.
- 1User interface
User asks questions
- 2Inference engine
Applies rules (forward or backward chaining)
- 3Knowledge base
Facts and if-then rules from experts
- 4Explanation facility
Explains how a conclusion was reached
- 5Knowledge acquisition
Adds and updates expert knowledge
Advantages: consistent, available 24 × 7, preserves expertise. Limitations: no common sense, costly to build and maintain, narrow domain.
Topic 3
Case studies
- MYCIN: diagnosed bacterial blood infections and recommended antibiotics using about 600 rules and certainty factors.
- DENDRAL: inferred molecular structures from mass-spectrometry data.
- XCON (R1): configured DEC computer systems, saving the company millions.
- Modern examples: medical decision-support tools and rule-based loan approval systems.
Topic 4
Legal and ethical issues in AI
Bias and fairness
Discrimination from biased training data
Privacy
Use of personal data and surveillance
Transparency
Black-box decisions that can't be explained
Accountability
Who is responsible when AI causes harm
Jobs
Automation replacing work
Safety and misuse
Deepfakes, autonomous weapons
Regulations are emerging worldwide, such as the EU AI Act (risk-based rules) and India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.
Key terms
- Machine learning
- Systems that learn from data
- Computer vision
- AI that interprets images and video
- NLP
- AI for understanding and generating human language
- Expert system
- A program that mimics a human expert's decisions
- Inference engine
- The part of an expert system that applies rules
Quick revision
- Domains: ML, vision, robotics, NLP, deep learning.
- Expert system: knowledge base + inference engine + UI + explanation + acquisition.
- MYCIN, DENDRAL, XCON are classic expert systems.
- Ethics: bias, privacy, transparency, accountability, jobs, safety.
Important exam questions
Practice questions written to the PTU exam pattern for this unit's syllabus: short answers (Section A style) and long answers (Sections B and C style).
Short-answer questions
- Q1.Name five domains of AI.
- Q2.What is an expert system?
- Q3.List the components of an expert system.
- Q4.What was MYCIN used for?
- Q5.State two ethical issues in AI.
Long-answer questions
- Q1.Explain the architecture of an expert system with a diagram.
- Q2.Discuss the major domains of AI with applications.
- Q3.Discuss the legal and ethical issues raised by artificial intelligence.
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