Simple rule-based systems
The most basic kind of symbolic AI: a system that automates a single decision using basic if-then logic. A light-sensing plug that switches on outdoor lights at sunset, or a basic programmable thermostat. Very limited, very good at the one thing it does.
A ward's sepsis alert fires whenever a patient's heart rate is above 90 and temperature above 38°C, and within a month nurses are dismissing it on most post-operative patients, who often meet both for ordinary reasons. Because the rule is two lines of logic, anyone can see exactly why each alert fired, which makes the problem easy to study. Pull a month of alerts, look at which patients triggered them and how many were acted on, and have a clinical lead agree any change before it is rechecked against known sepsis cases.
Terms like this come up in real clinical scenarios across the HelloAI courses: bite-sized modules with verifiable certificates. An account takes one minute, no password needed.
Sign in →