Inconsistency Management in Knowledge-Based Systems

Summary

Inconsistency management in knowledge-based systems addresses the detection, quantification and resolution of conflicting information within a structured repository of facts and rules. As knowledge bases integrate diverse data sources and dynamic inputs, contradictions may arise at semantic, logical or data levels, threatening the reliability of automated inference. Key strategies encompass paraconsistent reasoning, which permits controlled reasoning in the presence of contradictions; inconsistency measures, which assign a numerical value to the extent of conflict; and repair techniques, which identify minimal modifications to restore coherence. These approaches are essential in domains such as healthcare diagnostics, environmental monitoring and legal expert systems, where absolute consistency is unattainable but dependable decision-making remains imperative. By balancing robustness and expressiveness, inconsistency management ensures that intelligent systems can operate effectively under real-world conditions.

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Inconsistency Management in Knowledge-Based Systems publication trend

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Technical terms

Knowledge base: A structured repository of facts and rules used for automated reasoning.

Inconsistency measure: A quantitative metric that evaluates the degree of conflict within a knowledge base.

Denial constraint: A type of integrity rule that forbids certain combinations of data tuples.

Paraconsistent logic: A logical framework that allows reasoning in the presence of contradictions without trivialisation.

Graph database: A data model in which entities are represented as nodes and relationships as edges.

Regular path constraint: A navigational integrity condition specifying allowable paths in a graph database.

References

  1. On measuring inconsistency in definite and indefinite databases with denial constraints. Artificial Intelligence (2023).
  2. Formulas Free From Inconsistency: An Atom-Centric Characterization in Priest's Minimally Inconsistent LP. Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research (2019).
  3. On measuring inconsistency in graph databases with regular path constraints. Artificial Intelligence (2024).

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