Management expert systems for competitive advantage in business

While some areas of information technology are gradually slackening into the position of competitive necessity, Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is emerging as a competitive weapon. The three areas of AI that have immediate economic values are robotics, natural language processing, and expert systems (ES). ES have the potential of becoming useful managerial tools in decision-making. They can handle ill-structured problems and exhibit features that will complement existing management information systems and the decision support systems. Recognising the potentials of ES in management, this study investigates their present state of development, competitive implications, depth of penetration in business organizations, and future application areas. The trend and level of management expert systems application in Singapore are compared with those in the US.