Fuzzy Control as Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) encompasses a broad body of knowledge that is difficult to define precisely. Though it still has the aura of a dramatically young field, it is actually more like a war-torn veteran, which has experienced several setbacks and changes in focus over the past four or five decades. Although it is quite difficult to discuss such a subject in one chapter, and although some aspects of this subject are quite controversial, we nonetheless attempt to consider it here because it is important to an overall understanding of the nature of fuzzy control research and applications. In Chapter 3 we will present some points in a rather unconventional way. We attempt to show that fuzzy control indeed fits very well into the broader context of artificial intelligence, and that it is most fruitful to view it in that way, rather than as a subject that somehow stands apart.