What is Ontology?
Ontology — A formal representation of knowledge as a set of concepts and the relationships between them.
An ontology formally defines the concepts, relationships, and rules in a specific domain. In healthcare, it might define that ‘aspirin’ is-a ‘medication’ that treats ‘headache’ which is-a ‘symptom.’ Ontologies help AI systems reason about domain knowledge consistently.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is an ontology different from a taxonomy?
A taxonomy is a simple hierarchy (animal > mammal > dog). An ontology adds rich relationships, properties, and rules beyond just parent-child classification.
Where are ontologies used in AI?
Healthcare (SNOMED, ICD codes), e-commerce (product catalogs), knowledge graphs, and any domain where precise concept relationships matter for AI reasoning.
Do I need an ontology for my AI project?
Only if your domain has complex concept relationships that the AI needs to reason about. For most text-based AI applications, LLMs handle concept relationships implicitly without explicit ontologies.