Using bots to create a living database

by Peter Small

The challenge of the Internet environment

In the talk I gave at BOT2000 – September 13th 2000 at the New York Hilton – I described the design of bots that can be used as personal agents that can clone their owner's identities and represent them in certain situations.

For this current BOT2001 talk, I want to describe a practical application for these bots and the kind of environment where they might be used. The idea will be to concentrate upon the conceptual models that bots can induce, rather than the mechanics of their structure.

The practical application described will use bots as intermediaries between people: to discriminate and make contact with others on the Internet. As we all know, the Web is a massive source of information. The big challenge today is not to add to this information, but, to find an efficient way to make use of it. This paper describes such a way, by using clones, bots and personal electronic agents that help those who want to know to find those who do know. "It's life Jim, but not as we know it".

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