Agents of Common Sense

by Thomas Calwell

And as more information flows online daily, it's only getting worse.

Engineers at Toshiba's Research and Development Center in Kawasaki are taking a novel approach in trying to find a cure for data diarrhea. They have come up with a way of creating and locating pertinent information by applying common sense to the problem. Literally.

Knowledge bases
Toshiba's researchers have developed an electronic agent system that lets users input natural language queries to a customized database built out of the common sense, know-how, and experience of the people using the system. In the case of the researchers themselves, their "personal knowledge base" includes a wide variety of practical information, such as tips on writing technical papers, how to give a presentation overseas, help on patent-registration problems, and advice on dealing with everyday problems that arise in the center.

The system is only as good as the information that users put into it, so it has been deployed on an intranet to encourage wide participation in building up the knowledge base. According to Yoichi Takebayashi, a senior manager at the R&D center, some 300 researchers and clerical staff are helping in the task.

All that is needed to participate is a browser and a useful piece of information. A user simply supplies a title for each nugget of knowledge, then keys in the information. Before sorting and storing the data, the system analyzes the content and extracts keywords that are used to flag the content for retrieval.

The personal knowledge base is linked to a second database - the "office knowledge base" - that contains more systematized information about office procedures, job flows, documentation, and the like. In this case, specific Toshiba engineers are assigned to analyze how the center goes about its business and input the results, as in the case of the personal knowledge base.

The result of all this is that a user can ask such questions as "My printer is jammed. What should I do?" or "What measures should I take in case of an earthquake?" or even "What forms do I need to fill out to get additional funding?" A software agent analyzes and interprets the query using natural language algorithms, then retrieves data pertinent to what the user is looking for. If the information isn't yet available online, the system will suggest the best person to contact. With questions concerning documentation, it can also call up electronic copies of the appropriate forms.

Developing an online mentor
"This is not an 'expert system,'" stresses Takebayashi. "We want everyone to freely share their knowledge throughout the corporation. The knowledge may not be perfect; but if it can be useful for others, it should be made available."

Neither is the system a form of FAQ (frequently asked questions). FAQs on the Internet are becoming as long and tedious to plow through as the download dumps from search engines. "FAQs can be huge," says Takebayashi. "Here, we are providing specific information on demand."

As a manager, he admits he can rarely find time to individually mentor each of the young researchers under him and answer all their questions. But with this electronic agent system, he is gradually making his experience available to everyone who can benefit from it.

While the system is easy to use, Takebayashi says the biggest hurdle so far is getting certain researchers to contribute what they know. "I input [to the knowledge bases] regularly," he says. "But it is difficult to motivate others to do the same. Researchers are more interested in conducting elegant research."

Better with time
Nevertheless, he's sure peer pressure - and the various enticements he's thinking up - will encourage more participation, which in turn will create its own momentum. "In two or three years, this system will be running companywide in Toshiba," predicts Takebayashi. The idea is to have each division in Toshiba, then each department, create its own personal and office knowledge bases.

In time, the agent system will be upgraded to monitor each employee's computer, automatically extracting useful information as they tap away on their keyboards. In this way, users will be creating their own personal and office knowledge bases as they work, with no extra effort.

Now that's an uncommonly practical way of using common sense.