Propositional logic in Artificial Intelligence is one of the many methods of how knowledge is represented to a machine so that its automatic learning capacity can be enhanced. Machine Learning (ML) and Knowledge Representation and Logic (KR&R) are imperative for building smart machines that can perform tasks that typically require human intelligence.

Propositional Logic is the Foundation of Artificial Intelligence

If we want a machine to be intelligent enough to have a dialogue with us in natural language or do complex tasks like diagnosing a medical condition, or any problem-solving and decision making, then first the machine needs to become knowledgeable about the real word. Machine learning enables a machine to grow knowledgeable through automatic and experience-based learning without being explicitly programmed.

But the ability of automatic learning is feasible only if the machine can rightly interpret the information of our real world. However, a machine can’t understand our language, so the knowledge of the real world needs to be represented to the machine in the right manner that is readable to a computer system. Propositional logic is one of the simplest methods of knowledge representation to a machine.

The Basic Idea of Propositional Logic

Proposition means sentences. Propositional logic applies the Boolean logic to convert our real-world data into a format that is readable to the computer. For instance, if we say ‘It is hot and humid today’, the machine won’t understand. But if we can create propositional logic for this sentence, then, we can make the machine-read, and interpret our message.

Derived from Boolean logic, the heart of propositional logic is the idea that the final output (meaning) of all propositions are either true or false. It can’t be both.

For example, ‘Earth is round’, the output for this proposition is TRUE. If we say, ‘Earth is square’, then the output is FALSE. Propositional logic applies to those sentences where the output can only be either TRUE or FALSE. But if we refer to the sentence like ‘Some children are lazy’ then here we have two possible outputs. This preposition is TRUE for those children who are lazy, but it is FALSE for those children who are not lazy. So, for such sentences/propositions where two or more outputs are possible, propositional logic doesn’t apply.

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