Can computers make decisions like humans? A new study may have the answer

The investigators have found a way to introduce

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variation into computers and show that there is benefit to be gained in doing so. By using fuzzy inference—a system that features an 'if-then' production of rules whereby data can be represented on a range between 0 to 1—rather than either 0 or 1—they were able to create a computer system that makes decisions with similar variability as human experts.

"Exploring variation in the decision making is useful. Introducing variation in carefully controlled manner can lead to better performance," adds Garibaldi. "Unless we allow computer systems to make the same mistakes as the best humans, we will delay the benefits that may be available through their use," he adds further.

The researchers view artificial intelligence as being devices that help treat problems and help make decisions. For example, instead of expecting AI to replace a doctor in coming up with the best treatment option for a cancer patient, it should be used as a tool to help physicians avoid the "most wrong" choices among a range of potential options that a trained human doctor (or a group of trained human doctors) might have made.

"Computers are not taking over but simply providing more decisions," says Garibaldi. "This is time- and ultimately life-saving because disasters happen as a result of sub-optimal care. Computers can help avoid the glaring mistake that humans make as 'adjunct experts' in the room that rule out the wrong decisions and errors by providing a set of alternative decisions, all of which could be correct."

In the future, the researchers hope to get these systems into real medical use, whereby there is a problem and a computer system that can address it and support real-life decision making.

https://phys.org/news/2019-06-decisions-humans.html