Artificial intelligence and virtual organizations

Abstract

Although the idea of virtual organizations is not new, recent developments in information technology capabilities, such as the World-Wide Web and artificial intelligence (AI), allow the development of new implementations of virtual organizations that exploit capabilities of those new technologies. Virtual organizations may be the first large-scale industrial application of AI, beyond its fragmented use in knowledge-based systems and robotics. Virtual office systems based on intelligent agents expand boundaries of organizations, facilitating interactions with a broader range of business than under traditional approaches. Virtual environments for training (VET) are another type of virtual organization activity. Virtual environments integrate virtual reality and intelligent tutoring. Students can either watch or participate in these simulations. VET have been used in such domains as orbital mechanics and fighter pilot training. At the core of VET are autonomous intelligent agents. Typically, these agents are used to represent or simulate other actors or other pilots