The second AI winter

Expert systems prove expensive to maintain and brittle when faced with exceptions. At the same time, the market for specialised AI computers collapses.

Why it is in the museum

Progress was not continuous. Periods of great expectations were followed by technical limits, disappointment and cuts in funding.

What supports this exhibit

Historical synthesis

The commercial downturn of the late 1980s and the maintenance problems of rule-based systems.

Main source: Historical literature on expert systems and the Lisp machine market.

The source is listed here, but no direct link is currently available in the register.

What to keep in mind: A synthesis of multiple sources rather than a single event.

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This small guide uses only the information documented on this exhibit page. If your question goes beyond that evidence, it will say so instead of inventing an answer.

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