Answers.Body: <p>Symbolic AI still has a future, as there are many real-world applications where having a 'black box' driving decision making is not acceptable/compliant. In many fields you need to be able to explain how and why a decision was reached, and in symbolic AI you can do that.</p>
  <p>Maybe at some point in the future we will know more about explainability of neural models, but it would also require being able to fine-tune them in a reliable way if you found an error you wanted to correct.</p>
  <p>There could be scope for hybrid systems where a neural model 'generates ideas', which a symbolic model then works with in an explainable and transparent way.</p>
  
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Answers.CreationDate: 2024-07-16T05:44:34.910Z
Answers.Text: I appreciate your answer.
  Will symbolic AI reach the capabilities of neuro-symbolic AI or neural networks? I didn't find anyone who is working on symbolic AI and trying to push it forward, can you give an example for such a project?
  It seems that in general, symbolic AI had been neglected for the success of NN/NS AI.
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Answers.CreationDate: 2024-07-16T07:44:26.913Z
Answers.Text: @CuriosityChaser They have different properties. Usually more precise, but less broad in coverage. More effort to create, but explainable and easier to maintain/adjust. From my own experience there is not much pushing forward, but it's still widely used in commercial settings. But you mostly hear about cases now where LLMs are used (and lead to disaster...)
Answers.UserDisplayName: Oliver Mason
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Answers.Text: Can you please provide an example of a project that significantly uses symbolic AI?
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Answers.CreationDate: 2024-07-21T20:04:46.883Z
Answers.Text: The last four (tech) companies I worked at all used it in the NLP/Conversational AI field. Supplemented by machine learning, but mostly still symbolic approaches.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Oliver Mason
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Answers.UserDisplayName: Oliver Mason
Body: <p>I heard about Neuro-Symbolic AI as a good enhancement to neural networks, because they consume less power and more transparent (for example - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7ih6rHdw3M" rel="nofollow noreferrer">quanta magazine - Vector-Driven AI</a>). Kind of &quot;best of both worlds&quot; solution.<br /><br />
  My question is - can symbolic models stand by themselves? Can they reach the same capabilities as neural networks or Neuro-Symbolic AI? I haven't found any evidence for that.</p>
  
Tags: <symbolic-ai><neurosymbolic-ai>
Title: Does Symbolic AI by itself has a future? Or only as Neuro-Symbolic AI?
UserDisplayName: CuriosityChaser
ThreadText: # Does Symbolic AI by itself has a future? Or only as Neuro-Symbolic AI?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2024-07-13)
  
  I heard about Neuro-Symbolic AI as a good enhancement to neural networks, because they consume less power and more transparent (for example - [quanta magazine - Vector-Driven AI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7ih6rHdw3M)). Kind of "best of both worlds" solution.  
    
  My question is - can symbolic models stand by themselves? Can they reach the same capabilities as neural networks or Neuro-Symbolic AI? I haven't found any evidence for that.
  
  **Tags:** symbolic-ai, neurosymbolic-ai
  
  
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  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_1 on 2024-07-15. Score: 0
  
  Symbolic AI still has a future, as there are many real-world applications where having a 'black box' driving decision making is not acceptable/compliant. In many fields you need to be able to explain how and why a decision was reached, and in symbolic AI you can do that.
  
  Maybe at some point in the future we will know more about explainability of neural models, but it would also require being able to fine-tune them in a reliable way if you found an error you wanted to correct.
  
  There could be scope for hybrid systems where a neural model 'generates ideas', which a symbolic model then works with in an explainable and transparent way.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: I appreciate your answer. Will symbolic AI reach the capabilities of neuro-symbolic AI or neural networks? I didn't find anyone who is working on symbolic AI and trying to push it forward, can you give an example for such a project? It seems that in general, symbolic AI had been neglected for the success of NN/NS AI.  
  > **username_1**: @username_0 They have different properties. Usually more precise, but less broad in coverage. More effort to create, but explainable and easier to maintain/adjust. From my own experience there is not much pushing forward, but it's still widely used in commercial settings. But you mostly hear about cases now where LLMs are used (and lead to disaster...)  
  > **username_0**: Can you please provide an example of a project that significantly uses symbolic AI?  
  > **username_1**: The last four (tech) companies I worked at all used it in the NLP/Conversational AI field. Supplemented by machine learning, but mostly still symbolic approaches.  
  
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