ABSTRACT
Introduction Intelligent systems research is an area of artificial intelligence (AI) dedicated to the study and development of machines (notably computers) that can display and replicate human intelligent behaviour such as understanding, learning, reasoning and problem-solving (Michalski and Littman, 1991: 64; Schank, 1990). Traditionally AI research is concerned with the broad study of human intelligence and its replication. This can have more theoretical, technical and philosophical implications for AI research such as the following:
• the nature of intelligence itself (i.e. what is intelligence and what are its components);
• the development of models of human reasoning, problem-solving, knowledge representation and cognition;
• the development of tools and techniques such as AI programming environments (i.e. LISP and PROLOG) and learning algorithms to assist knowledge elicitation.
