Inference Engine
The component of an AI system (often in rule-based or expert systems) that applies a knowledge base to input data to draw conclusions.
Definition
A software module—rule engine or logic processor—that executes encoded business rules or expert-system logic. In hybrid AI stacks, the inference engine may orchestrate calls to statistical models, enforce policy checks, and aggregate multi-source inputs. Governance must manage rule-versioning, rule-approval workflows, and compatibility between rule logic and statistical components.
Real-World Example
An insurance underwriting platform uses Drools (a rule-engine) to evaluate policy rules (age limits, risk categories). When new regulations arrive, actuaries update rule files, which are reviewed in a staging branch and automatically deployed to the production inference engine after passing compliance tests.
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