is there an open source framework? is there some sort of IDE that will get me started in this area ?
yes there is and excellent open source framework for .net called AForge.Net
An article on codeproject for you. The sample is writen in c# and youse the AForge Framework.
Also check out Weka, it has numerous AI / Machine learning algorithms implemented. The source is freely available. Typically you would use it to test against a data set.
FANN Fast Artificial Neural Network Library is a free open source neural network library, which implements multilayer artificial neural networks in C with support for both fully connected and sparsely connected networks. Cross-platform execution in both fixed and floating point are supported. It includes a framework for easy handling of training data sets. It is easy to use, versatile, well documented, and fast. PHP, C++, .NET, Ada, Python, Delphi, Octave, Ruby, Prolog Pure Data and Mathematica bindings are available. A reference manual accompanies the library with examples and recommendations on how to use the library. A graphical user interface is also available for the library FannTool