Intelligence is an attribute that is often difficult to quantify. Humans can process information in a manner that has yet to be duplicated by machines. Still, many programmers continue to develop AI as a challenge, trying to mimic human behavior and responses as closely as possible. These studies have not generally produced practical results in the area of personal interaction. The ability of a programmed machine to interact with people or to decipher emotion is rudimentary at best.

Most human behavior is difficult to duplicate with a computer, but computers have advantages over human capabilities in regards to calculations and memory. Computers programmed to “think” strategically -- such as playing chess -- have surpassed the skills of their most talented human opponents. A computer is not more intelligent than a person, it just has the ability to foresee millions of consequences of it’s choices within minutes or even seconds. This ability is beyond the means of most people.

Arranging optimal schedules for production is a similar skill to playing chess because it requires cause and effect evaluation for hundreds of variables. This is one area in which AI offers a practical application.

Only a few software companies offer AI for practical business purposes because very few software programmers are capable of creating the genetic algorithms for the core of practical AI. Also, AI must be created for a specific function, not as a generic routine. For this reason, software companies can not sell one system thousands of times as their normal sales model requires. Due to it’s nature, only a few companies offer practical Artificial Intelligence that really works.

Cambridge Manufacturing Journals


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