[XML-DEV Mailing List Archive Home] [By Thread] [By Date] [Recent Entries] [Reply To This Message] RE: RDF, the "semantic web",and the nadir of AI (was RE: Realistic propo
Mike.Champion wrote: > I admit to suffering the extreme cynicism about "AI" that comes > from having been a zealot about its potential in my mis-spent youth > and suffering continued disillusionment since ... and it's hard to > shake the feeling that the 'semantic web' is 1980's AI hype on life > support. Could anyone set me straight if this is terribly unfair? There is nothing at all wrong with being a zealot about the 'potential' for AI. The huge problem was the gross underestimate of the difficultly of the problem combined with the great arrogance regarding the capabilities of computer software circa 1975 with respect to the human brain (i.e. real intelligence). I continue to gain more respect for the difficulties of actually solving problems which on the surface appear tractable but are in reality really difficult things to understand. Realize that the capabilities regarding intelligence of a one year old child greatly surpass those of our most sophisticated computers and you can begin to realize the problem of designing computer software that meets or exceeds the capabilities of a human domain expert. On the other hand, perhaps the greatest single invention of this time was the idea of a semantic network. The apparently simple act of agreeing on a standard vocabulary or terminology for a particular field of study can then be seen for its true and great value. The problem with the semantic web isn't that there is no potential, but rather that it is a really difficult thing to do well. RDF is at least a start. There are worse things you could have wasted your time on in the 1980s :-) Jonathan Borden The Open Healthcare Group http://www.openhealth.org
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