I, Cringely » Blog Archive » Logan’s Run - Cringely on technology

IBM patents a technique it has no doubt been using internally for years…  Check the full post for more context-setting and details.

Today’s computers are smaller and thousands of times more powerful than the ones we worked with during the AI boom, but the problem is still one of programming — getting knowledge into the system in an efficient and usable manner.  For that matter, it is hard to envision computers other than robots performing many of these workplace functions, and robots aren’t ready. The better solution then, according to a just-published IBM patent filing (US29228426A1), might be to find a way to suck knowledge out of the experts then inject it into younger, stronger, cheaper employees, possibly even in other countries.

IBM’s proposed Platform for Capturing Knowledge describes how to use an imersive gaming environment to transfer expert knowledge held by employees “aged 50 and older” to 18-25 year-old trainees who find manuals “difficult to read and understand.”

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In the end it may not matter then whether IBM runs out of experts or not.  Just so long as they don’t run out of lawyers.

Knowledge engineering meets virtual world gaming – maybe the next update to the IBM “Match” program will use this approach

I, Cringely » Blog Archive » Logan’s Run - Cringely on technology