Advanced Concepts
Symbolic AI
AI that works with explicitly written rules and relationships.
Example
An expert system applies encoded rules to recommend a troubleshooting step.
Why people use it
It lets people encode knowledge or rules explicitly rather than relying entirely on learned examples.
What you'll hear
“These are the rules the system follows.”
What this means for you
Compare whether explicit rules, learned patterns or a combination fit the task.
Can you control it?
Developer-only
The people building or running the AI choose this setup. An everyday user generally needs their help to change how this part works.
Common questions
- Is symbolic AI the same as deep learning?
- No. It can apply rules written by people without learning those rules from examples.
- Can it be combined with learned AI?
- Yes. A system can use explicit rules alongside methods that learn from examples.
- What happens when a needed rule is missing?
- The system may fail to reach a useful conclusion or apply an unsuitable existing rule.