Production System
In the context of artificial intelligence and computing, a production system, also known as a production rule system, is a model for decision-making and action selection that operates on a set of predefined rules (productions) and a mechanism to apply these rules.
These rules are condition-action pairs; when the condition part of a rule is satisfied by the current state of the system or environment, the action part is executed. This system is a fundamental concept in AI, particularly in the development of expert systems, automated planning, and certain types of problem-solving algorithms.
Production systems consist of three main components: a set of rules (the production base), a working memory (which holds information about the current state or context), and a control system (which determines how rules are applied). They are particularly useful for applications where decision logic can be explicitly stated in rule form.
One classic example of a production system in AI is an expert system for medical diagnosis. In such a system, the rules might encode medical knowledge, such as "if the patient has a fever and a sore throat, then consider a diagnosis of streptococcal pharyngitis." The working memory would contain data about a specific patient, such as symptoms, medical history, and test results. The control system would apply the rules to this data to infer potential diagnoses, treatments, or further tests that might be required.
This approach allows for the encapsulation of domain-specific knowledge in a structured form that can be easily interpreted and modified, making production systems valuable for developing AI applications where expertise is a key component, such as in legal reasoning, financial analysis, and complex decision-making scenarios in business and manufacturing.