Cookies help us display personalized product recommendations and ensure you have great shopping experience.

By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
SmartData CollectiveSmartData Collective
  • Analytics
    AnalyticsShow More
    data analytics and truck accident claims
    How Data Analytics Reduces Truck Accidents and Speeds Up Claims
    7 Min Read
    predictive analytics for interior designers
    Interior Designers Boost Profits with Predictive Analytics
    8 Min Read
    image fx (67)
    Improving LinkedIn Ad Strategies with Data Analytics
    9 Min Read
    big data and remote work
    Data Helps Speech-Language Pathologists Deliver Better Results
    6 Min Read
    data driven insights
    How Data-Driven Insights Are Addressing Gaps in Patient Communication and Equity
    8 Min Read
  • Big Data
  • BI
  • Exclusive
  • IT
  • Marketing
  • Software
Search
© 2008-25 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Stephen Wolfram discusses Wolfram|Alpha: Computational Knowledge Engine
Share
Notification
Font ResizerAa
SmartData CollectiveSmartData Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
  • About
  • Help
  • Privacy
Follow US
© 2008-23 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
SmartData Collective > Business Intelligence > Stephen Wolfram discusses Wolfram|Alpha: Computational Knowledge Engine
Business Intelligence

Stephen Wolfram discusses Wolfram|Alpha: Computational Knowledge Engine

KarenLopez
KarenLopez
4 Min Read
SHARE

Recently on dm-discuss there was a posting about the Wolfram|Alpha technology, currently in development, which is a Computational Knowledge Engine. The initial question, posted by Tony Shaw, was whether or not this technology would replace Google as our preferred search engine. I, along with others, wondered how this engine would deal with the confusing semantics of language. For instance, if I asked a computer the question:

How many Jobs are there at Apple?

would the computer know if I was asking about how many people named Jobs? How many open positions? How many positions, open or filled? How many project tasks? Construction jobs? Would it guess whether or not I meant Apple Records, Apple, Inc, or a local Apple Store?

Since the Wolfram|Alpha technology is based on Mathematica, it actually calculates answers instead of just returning search results. See this Harvard Berkmam Center video, which I wish showed the screen more than Wolfram:

More Read

Rapportive Takes a Stab at SCRM with Gmail Integration
Benefits of Using Data to Make Decisions: Guest Post by Erin Palmer
9 Amazing Ways Big Data Is Used Today to Change the World
7 Data Collection Tools Every Company Must Have
Decision Management and Reforming Hospitals

 

I still see a huge need to conquer the issue of semantics and the nuances of language… 

Recently on dm-discuss there was a posting about the Wolfram|Alpha technology, currently in development, which is a Computational Knowledge Engine. The initial question, posted by Tony Shaw, was whether or not this technology would replace Google as our preferred search engine. I, along with others, wondered how this engine would deal with the confusing semantics of language. For instance, if I asked a computer the question:

How many Jobs are there at Apple?

would the computer know if I was asking about how many people named Jobs? How many open positions? How many positions, open or filled? How many project tasks? Construction jobs? Would it guess whether or not I meant Apple Records, Apple, Inc, or a local Apple Store?

Since the Wolfram|Alpha technology is based on Mathematica, it actually calculates answers instead of just returning search results. See this Harvard Berkmam Center video, which I wish showed the screen more than Wolfram:

 

I still see a huge need to conquer the issue of semantics and the nuances of language. Indeed, there are other bloggers who are pointing out some of the issues that must be addressed. I especially liked Jon Stokes’ post in ars technica:

In the end, any good humanist, scientist, or journalist knows how hard it is just to assemble a reliable and relevant set of facts, much less to take the next step and synthesize those facts into understanding, and then communicate that understanding to an interested reader.

I’m very happy to see innovation and research in the areas of making massive amounts of data accessible and usable to the general population. From what I’ve seen (very little) of Wolfram|Alpha, we are making great progress in that direction. I just wish people, even brilliant people, would clue in to the fact the trip from data to fact to knowledge is not something that can be easily automated. Nor can it be accomplished just with good column names or mathematical formulas. A good data architect knows this because we’ve spent decades trying to get 3 people at the same organization at the same time to agree what we mean by Customer or Revenue. I can’t imagine trying to do that for all people, in any culture, at any company, across the globe.

Technorati Tags: Wolfram Alpha,Stephen Wolfram,Data,Knowledge

TAGGED:semanticswolfram alpha
Share This Article
Facebook Pinterest LinkedIn
Share

Follow us on Facebook

Latest News

data analytics and truck accident claims
How Data Analytics Reduces Truck Accidents and Speeds Up Claims
Analytics Big Data Exclusive
predictive analytics for interior designers
Interior Designers Boost Profits with Predictive Analytics
Analytics Exclusive Predictive Analytics
big data and cybercrime
Stopping Lateral Movement in a Data-Heavy, Edge-First World
Big Data Exclusive
AI and data mining
What the Rise of AI Web Scrapers Means for Data Teams
Artificial Intelligence Big Data Exclusive

Stay Connected

1.2kFollowersLike
33.7kFollowersFollow
222FollowersPin

You Might also Like

Wolfram Alpha: Second-Hand Impressions

2 Min Read

Early Indications October 2009: The Exploding Mobile Web

7 Min Read

#25: Here’s a thought…

7 Min Read

Extract Meta Concepts Through Co-occurrences Analysis and Graph Theory.

4 Min Read

SmartData Collective is one of the largest & trusted community covering technical content about Big Data, BI, Cloud, Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, IoT & more.

ai is improving the safety of cars
From Bolts to Bots: How AI Is Fortifying the Automotive Industry
Artificial Intelligence
ai in ecommerce
Artificial Intelligence for eCommerce: A Closer Look
Artificial Intelligence

Quick Link

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Follow US
© 2008-25 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Go to mobile version
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?