Posted on Aug. 16, 2004 By John Edwards http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/pwc/talking_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000614675 A new intelligent agent that works through users' mobile phones to organize business and social schedules has been developed by scientists at a U.K. university. Artificial intelligence software allows the agent to determine users' preferences and to use the Web to plan business and social events, such as travel itineraries and visits to restaurants and theatres. "I see the artificial agent as a butler-type character," says Nick Jennings, professor of computer science at the University of Southampton's electronics and computer department. "The first day that the 'butler' comes to work, he will be very polite, as he does not know much about me. But as we begin to work together he will become better acquainted with my preferences and will make decisions without having to consult me. The degree of autonomy I allow him is entirely up to me." Jennings believes that his research team's agent will work well with existing 3G mobile networks. It will reduce the need for business travelers to carry laptop computers, since they will be able to do their computing through their phone. Jennings and his team are among the UK's leading artificial intelligence researchers. Earlier this year they won the ACM Autonomous Research Award in recognition of their research in the area of autonomous agents. Last year, Jenning's team developed an agent that functioned as a virtual travel agent, producing the best possible vacations based on clients' preferences, including budgets, itineraries and cultural visits. All of the travel packages' components had to be purchased from a series of online auctions. "Here we had a scenario where artificial agents outperformed humans as they assimilated information much more quickly than any human could possibly operate," says Jennings. "The world is getting more complicated, so the more support we have with planning and taking decisions, the better we can function." While Jennings' 3G intelligent agent shows much promise, it's unlikely that it will be able to fully meet the varied information needs of mobile phone users. "It's very difficult to second-guess what people have on their minds," says Alex Linden, a vice president of research at Gartner, a technology research firm based in Stamford, Conn. Linden notes that mobile phone users' requirements change quickly, depending on their mood, physical location and personal or work situation, making it difficult for an agent to keep pace. "I may be calling someone for myself or on behalf of my boss, my wife or my kids," says Linden. "The system would have to switch radically between different contexts. Linden notes that many university and corporate laboratories are working on agent research. "But it's going to be a long time before something useful comes out of that," he says. |