Introducing Artificial Intelligence (Henry Brighton and Howard Selina) / quote 60 of 68
Bottom-up versus top-down AI design
Given the goal of building an intelligent agent, the methodology frequently adopted by Al is to build from the top downwards. That is, higher-level functions such as knowledge and reasoning are targeted first, with lower-level Junctions swept under the carpet until later. New Al proposes bottom-up design. Start with the basics first… For example, Rodney Brooks builds basic machines analogous to insects. His idea is that only by understanding the basics first can we begin to understand the complexities of human cognition.