Technology report: PHAROS: Business adviser

Abstract

The Single European Market is both the single largest opportunity and the single largest threat to face European companies in the 1990s. The survival of many companies will depend on how well they address these opportunities and react to these threats. First, they need to understand the Single Market issues and legislation, but expertise in these areas is expensive and rare. Many organisations, particularly smaller ones or those affected by the recession cannot afford to pay for this experience.

This paper describes PHAROS, an Expert System which advises small to medium sized companies on how changes in Single European Market and Environmental legislation will affect their business. PHAROS was developed by National Westminster Bank and Ernst & Young Management Consultants. To date, PHAROS has cost over £2 million to develop and distribute.

PHAROS achieved international acclaim when it was presented at the American Association of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) 1992 conference as one of the most ‘Innovative Applications of Artificial Intelligence’. PHAROS was also a medal winner in the 1992 British Computer Society Awards.