ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a brief overview of the disciplines of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Soft Computing. It introduces the topics covered under the heads of intelligent systems and demonstrates the scope of their applications in real world problems of significant complexity. It also highlights the direction of research in this broad discipline of knowledge. The historical development in AI and the means by which the subject was gradually popularized are briefly outlined here. The chapter addresses many new tools and techniques, commonly used to represent and solve complex problems. The organization of the book in light of these tools and techniques is also presented briefly in this chapter.
