Dave, I think you are right...
One can only hope that we are close to deploying voice agents as it seems from the opening statement here from the ASA/MA '99 symposium
that more work still needs to be done...
Agents in the Internet Age
Dr. Jim Waldo, Distinguished Engineer, Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Abstract
I have always been a skeptic concerning agents and agent technology in general. Much like some of the grander parts of artificial intelligence, I always viewed agents as a technology that demo'ed well but never quite panned out, often because it required the simultaneous performance of too many miracles. I will begin this talk by explaining the miracles that were required, and why I was never able to take agent technology seriously. But things have changed over the past few years. Some of the miracles that were required have happened, hidden in the Java environment and the Jini connection technology. I will discuss what I think these solutions are, and why they make agent technology at least plausible. I will conclude with the miracles that I believe still need to be performed, and sketch some of the avenues that may be open to their performance.
genmagic.com
Now you can see why I think that information from the symposium would be so interesting; and perhaps give us some clues as to how soon these agents could/would be deployed to begin generating revenue.
Best Regards,
John |
