This idea that "we are not using the old rules based system" is nothing but self appreciation, a way to justify that we are doing something new. The reality is

This idea that "we are not using the old rules based system" is nothing but self appreciation, a way to justify that we are doing something new. The reality is that the 'statistical word match/associations' is nothing but described by a set of rules. People need to understand that the only way we can build something is by designing the rules of the thing. A probabilistic system has its own set of rules different from other type of systems. Yes, there is something new and that is we are representing the problems in new and different ways that has allowed us to solve problems that were not feasible with the old representations. The solution, of whatever problem representation you are using, is still rules based.