The Final Word

From time to time I hear reference to expert systems that can analyze and diagnose problem data faster and more accurately than any human. First, being of the human species, I feel threatened. To think that a number crunching software package could, in effect, replace me. What an outrage! Then to add fuel to the flames, they called it an expert system.

Once, as I sat in front of an antique 286 computer pouring over spectral data, I proved my analytical capabilities were a meager 48% as fast as the software designers boasted for their "expert" system, and I have a 99.2% accuracy rating!

As my diagnosis neared the end, I began to think how nice it would be to fix problems instead of simply finding them. Maybe that is the intent of these systems, to flag the problems for further analysis by knowledgeable personnel. I believe that the software package can make all the difference, but the term "expert" does seem to go a bit too far. I foresee many problems that could arise if a plant with untrained personnel relied solely on an "expert" system. So maybe I won't be replaced, but I just can't seem to get the word "expert" to stop feeling like a chicken bone in my throat. They say time will tell...

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Last updated: November 24, 2002