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The Computer-Aided Discovery of Scientific Knowledge

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Discovey Science (DS 1998)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNAI,volume 1532))

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Abstract

In this paper, we review AI research on computational discovery and its recent application to the discovery of new scientific knowledge. We characterize five historical stages of the scientific discovery process, which we use as an organizational framework in describing applications. We also identify five distinct steps during which developers or users can influence the behavior of a computational discovery system. Rather than criticizing such intervention, as done in the past, we recommend it as the preferred approach to using discovery software. As evidence for the advantages of such human-computer cooperation, we report seven examples of novel, computer-aided discoveries that have appeared in the scientific literature, along with the role that humans played in each case. We close by recommending that future systems provide more explicit support for human intervention in the discovery process

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Adaptive Systems Group, Daimler-Benz Research and Technology Center, 1510 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA

    Pat Langley

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  1. Pat Langley
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Informatics, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, 812-8581, USA

    Setsuo Arikawa

  2. Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research Devision of Intelligent Systems Science, Osaka University, 8-1 Mihogaoka, Ibaraki, Osaka, 567-0047, Japan

    Hiroshi Motoda

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© 1998 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Langley, P. (1998). The Computer-Aided Discovery of Scientific Knowledge. In: Arikawa, S., Motoda, H. (eds) Discovey Science. DS 1998. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 1532. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-49292-5_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-49292-5_3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-65390-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-49292-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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