Page 21 - AI & Machine Learning for Beginners: A Guided Workbook

Expert Systems & The Rebirth of AI (1980s)

After the AI Winter of the 1970s, a new wave of AI emerged in the
1980s, driven by expert systems—AI programs designed to
mimic human experts in specific fields by applying rules and
logic to make decisions.

Key Expert Systems

MYCIN (Medical Diagnosis): Used rule-based reasoning to
diagnose bacterial infections and recommend antibiotics,
pioneering AI in healthcare.

DENDRAL (Chemical Analysis): Assisted chemists in inferring
molecular structures based on mass spectrometry data,
demonstrating AI’s ability to assist scientific research.

Renewed AI Optimism & Funding

Thanks to expert systems, AI gained practical applications,
attracting corporate investment and government funding.
Businesses saw AI’s potential for decision automation, leading to
widespread adoption in fields like medicine, finance, and
engineering.

However, expert systems had limitations—relying on handcrafted
rules, they struggled with new or ambiguous scenarios, paving
the way for machine learning-driven AI in the decades to follow.

Another AI Winter & the Rise of Machine Learning (1990s)

As the 1990s unfolded, expert systems began to fade due to their
reliance on manually crafted rules. These systems struggled with
complex, real-world scenarios, leading to frustration and
decreased investment. AI faced another "winter", as enthusiasm
cooled and funding declined.

19