The Role Of Logic In Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

Formal logic has played an important part in artificial intelligence (AI) research for almost thirty years, but its role has always been controversial. This paper surveys three possible applications of logic in AI: (1) as an analytical tool, (2) as a knowledge representation formalism and method of reasoning, and (3) as a programming language. The paper examines each of these in turn, exploring both the problems and the prospects for the successful application of logic.