Clever computers-why should engineers use AI?

Interest in AI began in the 1950s, when it was realised that the computer could be used to simulate theories of mental processes. Because it can accurately reveal the true implications of such complex theories, the computer is a valuable tool for furthering our understanding of human thought processes and perhaps of intelligence itself. Work done under the AI banner can be grouped very roughly into two areas: those aspects concerned with interaction with the world, and what might be termed higher mental functions. The former includes vision, speech perception, sonar interpretation, speech generation and robotics. Here, the authors focus on the higher functions: such activities as playing chess, planning, proving theorems and solving problems