Center for Intelligent Systems, and
Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering & Applied Science
Binghamton University-SUNY
gklir@binghamton.edu
The recently emerging area of intelligent systems may be viewed as a particular branch of the broader area of artificial intelligence. In this lecture, intelligent systems are defined as human-made systems that are capable of achieving highly complex tasks in a human-like, intelligent way. It is primarily the qualifier "human-like" that distinguishes the area of intelligent systems from the current mainstream of artificial intelligence. To emulate the way in which human beings use their intelligence to perform complex tasks, intelligent systems must be capable of human-like reasoning in natural language. This difficult capability is now facilitated by the emergence of fuzzy logic.
An overview of basic components of fuzzy logic will be presented. The presentation will focus on fuzzy logic in a broad sense. In this sense, fuzzy logic is viewed as a system of concepts and techniques for dealing with modes of reasoning that are approximate rather than precise. Connections of fuzzy logic to fuzzy-set theory, fuzzy relations, and possibility theory will also be discussed, In particular, the issue of constructing fuzzy sets to capture the meaning of vague concepts expressed in natural language for specific applications will be addressed.
George J. Klir is currently a Distinguished Professor of Systems Science in Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science, and Director of the Center for Intelligent Systems at Binghamton University (SUNY-Binghamton). He received the M.S. Degree in Electrical Engineering from the Czech Technical University in Prague in 1957, and the Ph.D. Degree in Computer Science from the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences in 1964. He is also a graduate of the IBM Systems Research Institute in New York. After immigrating to the U.S. in 1966, he held positions at the University of California at Los Angeles (1966-68), Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jesrey (1968-69), and SUNY-Binghamton (since 1969). He is Life Fellow of IEEE, IFSA, and the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Studies. He is the author of over 300 papers and 15 books, and the editor of 9 books, a journal, and a book series. He received numerous professional awards, including 3 honorary doctoral degrees, and is listed in Who’s Who in America andWho’sWho in the World. His current research interests include the areas of intelligent systems, soft computing, generalized uncertainty-based information, systems modeling with imprecise probabilities, fuzzy systems, and the theory of nonadditive measures. Some of his research was funded by grants from NSF, ONR, Air Force, NATO, Canadian Ministry of State for Urban Affairs, Sandia Laboratories, and various industries.
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