Branches of AI

While it's difficult to define a set of unique branches of AI techniques and methods , a standard taxonomy is provided in Table 1.2. Some of the items represent problems, while others represent solutions, but the list represents a good starting point to better understand the domain of AI.

 

Table 1.2: Branches of Artificial Intelligence ( adapted from "The AI FAQ" [Kantrowitz 2002])

Automatic Programming	Specify behavior, allow AI system to write the program
Bayesian Networks	Building networks with probabilistic information
Constraint Satisfaction	Solving NP-complete problems using a variety of techniques
Knowledge Engineering	Transforming human knowledge into a form that a computer can understand
Machine Learning	Programs that learn from past experience
Neural Networks	Modeling programs that are structured like mammalian brains
Planning	Systems that identify the best sequence of actions to reach a given goal
Search	Finding a path from a start state to a goal state

We'll touch on all of these topics within this book, illustrating not only the technology, but providing C language source code that illustrates the technique to solve a sample problem.