Chapter 1: Introduction

A system is rational if it does the “right thing,” given what it knows.

The Turing Test was designed to provide satisfactory operational definition of intelligence. A computer passes the test if a human interrogator, after posing some written questions, cannot tell whether the written responses come from a person or from a computer.

The computer would need the following capabilities

• Natural language processing - to communicate successfully
• Knowledge representation - to store what it knows
• Automated reasoning - use the stored information to answer questions and draw new conclusions
• Machine learning - adapt to new circumstances and detect/extrapolate patterns

To pass the total Turing Test, the computer will need

• Computer vision - to perceive objects
• Robotics - to manipulate objects and move about

An agent is something that acts. Computer agents are expected to operate autonomously, perceive their environment, persist over a prolonged time period, adapt to change, and create and pursue goals. A rational agent acts so to achieve the best outcome.

Chapter 2: Intelligent Agents

What is rational at any given time depends on:

• The performance measure that defines the criterion of success
• The agent’s prior knowledge of the environment
• The actions that the agent can perform
• The agent’s percept sequence to date