Expert systems: A survey of their use in UK business

A number of surveys have been carried out in the past ten years on the use of expert systems in business. This paper compares previous survey findings with a new one undertaken in the Spring of 1994; it finds significant differences in the level of use of expert systems. One thousand companies across the UK were surveyed regarding their use of information systems in general and expert systems in particular, and the results are discussed in this paper. A response rate of 22.5% showed that 50 out of 214 organisations, use expert systems for a variety of applications, ranging from strategic to operational. The analysis identifies users of expert systems by organisation size and industry sector. It also highlights their reasons for use. The paper concludes by identifying the perceived business benefits and the relative costs involved with the purchase or development of an expert system, as identified by the organisations.