A hybrid solution needed

The main message of the last two chapters is that there are some very important areas of knowledge that cannot be handled by database solutions. These are the information areas where there is so much volatility and change that the costs of maintaining up-to-date, accurate and complete records is prohibitively expensive. Without appropriate databases, the only practical way such knowledge can be shared is through personal contact between people.

Unfortunately, dealing with people is far more complex than accessing information from a database. People are not machines, so, they aren't amenable to being simply information sources. It takes time to get to know someone well enough to be able to ask them questions. It takes time to know if they have sufficient knowledge to provide the answers. It takes time to transfer information. It takes time to explain a problem to someone else and it takes time for them to understand the problem and provide an answer. It takes time to check out if the information given is correct. This is not a very efficient form of information transfer.

Somewhere, in between a database and a person to person exchange of information, there needs to be a hybrid solution that combines the advantages of person to person contact with the ease of accessing a database. Such a hybrid solution is possible by combining the concept of a living database with the concept of bots and personal agents. This solution may not be suitable for every kind of situation, but, where bots and personal agents can be used, the efficiency of human interaction can be substantially improved.

This chapter is about using bots and personal agents in this hybrid role, but first, it is necessary to have a more abstract view of a people space, so as not to confuse this concept with the rigidity of conventional database thinking.