An Inference Engine is part of a computer system or software that applies logical rules to a knowledge base to deduce new information. It’s an essential component in Artificial Intelligence applications and Expert Systems where it interprets and evaluates the existing knowledge and makes predictions or decisions.

• Artificial Intelligence
• Expert Systems
• Healthcare Diagnosis
• Financial Systems
• Automated Customer Support Bots
• Real-Time Decision Making
• Knowledge Management Systems
• Forecasting and Predictive Analytics

Let’s imagine this real-life situation: you’re using a cooking app that suggests recipes based on the ingredients you have at home. To do that, the app uses an Inference Engine which is like the brain of the system. It interprets the information you put in (like chicken, carrots, and onions) cross-references that with its database (its ‘knowledge’), and then applies rules (like, “if user has chicken, carrots, and onions, they can make chicken stew”) to recommend you a recipe.

Without an Inference Engine, the app may just list all recipes with chicken, not considering the other ingredients you have or don’t have. Thus, the Inference Engine allows for smarter, more specific, and useful results, making our everyday life a bit easier and more efficient.

• Standards and Information Management