• operate autonomously in situations where decision-making can be delegated to a computer
• detect and diagnose equipment failures
• aid in the planning and scheduling of complex tasks
• provide financial, legal, or medical advice in policy authorization, risk management and auditing situations
• understand, generate, and translate natural language
• display limited forms of learning.

Artificial intelligence is a central feature of several systems developed by the HITC, including the Center’s contribution to the national consortium to create a Trauma Care Information Management System. The HITC’s expertise in Knowledge Discovery from Databases makes extensive use of artificial intelligence tools, as do the systems developed through Help Desk Consultative Service.

The tools available through AI are rich in potential. Intelligent vehicles/highways, industrial and personal robots, and power plants could perform independently in changing environments without having to rely on continuous human intervention. Task- and industry-specific workstations could serve human knowledge workers such as product marketing analysts, financial analysts, and store managers by discovering significant information in large collections of data that permit direct, practical--and in some cases, automated--decisions. Educational innovations and interactive instructional technology are already improving the quality and efficiency of workplace training support using realistic simulations and virtual realities that include adaptive aiding. An example would be safe automobile simulators networked to provide interactive driver training.