Consumer-Centric Consumer-Centric Knowledge WebKnowledge WebA Vision of Consumer Applications of A Vision of Consumer Applications of
Software Agent TechnologySoftware Agent Technology - -
Enabling Consumer-Centric Enabling Consumer-Centric Knowledge-Based Computing Knowledge-Based Computing
Jack Krupansky – Base TechnologyMarch 5, 2006
Previous: February 27, 2006, Current
Consumer-Centric Knowledge WebConsumer-Centric Knowledge WebWhat is it?What is it?
• The Consumer-Centric Knowledge Web is a research proposal for a new knowledge-based computing infrastructure (global knowledge web platform) which will be much better-suited for consumer applications by enabling computer applications to finally understand what consumers really want
• Consumers have the knowledge, but computers are too “dumb” to understand and there is no language for consumers to conveniently and comfortably express their knowledge
• Software agent technology has the raw horsepower, but lacks the fuel (consumer knowledge) to go very far or very fast
• Even the W3C Semantic Web is too week to provide consumers and software agents with enough power and ease of use
• The CCKW will enable consumers and their software agents communicate in a manner that empowers both to “be all they can be”
Consumer-Centric Knowledge WebConsumer-Centric Knowledge WebThe ProblemThe Problem
• Applications are too dumb
• Applications don’t have enough user context to comprehend what the user is saying
• Difficult and expensive to give applications a sense of intelligence; each app has its own infrastructure
• Consumers feel at the mercy of vendors
Consumer-Centric Knowledge WebConsumer-Centric Knowledge WebThe SolutionThe Solution
• Software agents acting on the user’s behalf• Rich knowledge infrastructure gives the actions
of software agents a sense of intelligence• Global web of knowledge and interacting
software agents share knowledge among users• Platform and infrastructure for an entirely new
generation of applications• Shift away from vendor-centric app servers to a
P2P knowledge environment
Consumer-Centric Knowledge WebConsumer-Centric Knowledge WebThe GoalThe Goal
• Put the user in control of their own knowledge
• Vendors and other organizations will be on the outside looking in – not in control
• Users are more willing to entrust the computer with their knowledge since they feel in control
Consumer-Centric Knowledge WebConsumer-Centric Knowledge WebKey HurdlesKey Hurdles
• Large-scale, distributed web of knowledge– Complexity: Google times 1,000
• Natural language processing• Knowledge-mining of existing text• User interfaces for knowledge• Software agent technology
– True autonomy– High-reliability software
• Interaction Machines vs. Turing A-machines• New models of consumer-vendor interaction
Consumer-Centric Knowledge WebConsumer-Centric Knowledge WebThe PlanThe Plan
• Lots of hard-core research is needed
• Pre-commercialization
• Entrepreneurs, start your knowledge engines
Consumer-Centric Knowledge WebConsumer-Centric Knowledge WebResearchResearch
• Lots of research is needed– Basic - What is the nature of knowledge?– Architectures for knowledge-based apps– Interactions between consumers and vendors– Experimental - How to organize knowledge?
Consumer-Centric Knowledge WebConsumer-Centric Knowledge WebPre-CommercializationPre-Commercialization
• Pre-commercialization– Prototypes - Real user response– Vendors – changing their business models– Stress test the concepts – 100+ billion
knowledge items– Admit defeat - Back to the drawing board, 10+
times
Consumer-Centric Knowledge WebConsumer-Centric Knowledge WebGoing CommercialGoing Commercial
• Entrepreneurs, start your knowledge engines– Early adopters– Back to the drawing boards– Repeat 1 and 2 until Version 3.1– Early mainstream– Hitting stride mainstream– Maturity
Consumer-Centric Knowledge WebConsumer-Centric Knowledge WebWhat’s Next?What’s Next?
• Questions– Is this a reasonable focus?– Are people excited about doing this?– Are people willing to fund the research?– Are people patient enough to wait for results?– Will consumers accept knowledge-based apps?
• Fund some initial research• Incremental approach – Agile and Opportunistic
Consumer-Centric Knowledge WebConsumer-Centric Knowledge WebResourcesResources
• Read our white paper/idea notebook, The Consumer-Centric Knowledge Web - A Vision of Consumer Applications of Software Agent Technology - Enabling Consumer-Centric Knowledge-Based Computing
• Email: [email protected]
• Web: www.Agtivity.com/cckw.htm
