Synopses & Reviews
This edited collection evolved out of the 3rd Mid-Central Ergonomics/Human Factors Conference held at Miami University in 1986. The purpose of the book is to provide an introduction to and update of research in the areas of human abilities, perception, motor control, systems design, human computer interactions, and human factors. Each subsection begins with a review of the problems and work in an area and is followed by selected papers which provide new data and illustrate ongoing work. Ergonomics and Human Factors is a resource for gaining access to important problems in these two dynamic areas of research.
Synopsis
And Applications To The Human-Computer Interface Michael E. Fotta AT&T Communications 16th FIr. Atrium II, Cincinnati, OH 45202 Artificial intelligence (AI) programs represent knowledge in a fashion similar to human knowledge and the activities of an AI system are closer to human behavior than that of traditional systems. Thus, AI enables the computer to act more like a human instead of making the human think and act more like a computer. This capability combined with applying human factors concepts to the interface can greatly improve the human-computer interface. This paper provides an intro- duction to artificial intelligence and then proposes a number of methods for using AI to improve the human-machine inter- action. AN INTRODUCTION TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Definition There are many definitions of artificial intelligence (AI) running from the very general to the very detailed. Perhaps the most well accepted general definition is that by Elaine Rich: "Artificial intelligence is the study of how to make computers do things at which, at the moment, people are better," (Rich, 1983). A good example of a detailed definition is provided by the Brattle Research Corporation; "In simplified terms, artificial intelligence works with pattern matching methods which attempt to describe objects, events or pro- cesses in terms of their qualitative features and logical and compu- tational relationships," (Mishkoff, 1985).