Tech Report CS-91-08

Planning in an Open-Textured Domain

Kate Sanders

February 1991

Abstract:

Most work in artificial intelligence and law has concentrated on modeling the type of reasoning done by trial lawyers. In fact, most lawyers' work involves planning --- for example, wills and trusts, real estate deals, and business mergers and acquisitions. Certain planning issues, such as the use of underspecified or ``open-textured'' rules, are illustrated especially clearly in this domain.

In this proposal, I set forth the characteristic features of planning in law, place it in the context of past artificial intelligence work in both law and planning, outline my approach to solving this problem, and describe CHIRON, a system I am developing to test my solution in the domain of personal income tax planning.

(complete text in pdf)