Book excerpt: In Artificial Intelligence in Finance and Investing, authors Robert Trippi and Jae Lee explain this fascinating new technology in terms that portfolio managers, institutional investors, investment analysis, and information systems professionals can understand. Using real-life examples and a practical approach, this rare and readable volume discusses the entire field of artificial intelligence of relevance to investing, so that readers can realize the benefits and evaluate the features of existing or proposed systems, and ultimately construct their own systems. Topics include using Expert Systems for Asset Allocation, Timing Decisions, Pattern Recognition, and Risk Assessment; overview of Popular Knowledge-Based Systems; construction of Synergistic Rule Bases for Securities Selection; incorporating the Markowitz Portfolio Optimization Model into Knowledge-Based Systems; Bayesian Theory and Fuzzy Logic System Components; Machine Learning in Portfolio Selection and Investment Timing, including Pattern-Based Learning and Fenetic Algorithms; and Neural Network-Based Systems. To illustrate the concepts presented in the book, the authors conclude with a valuable practice session and analysis of a typical knowledge-based system for investment management, K-FOLIO. For those who want to stay on the cutting edge of the "application" revolution, Artificial Intelligence in Finance and Investing offers a pragmatic introduction to the use of knowledge-based systems in securities selection and portfolio management.