Web 3.0 AI Agents as Discovery Channels

Web 3.0 is a moniker used for the next generation of semantic Web, where intelligence and back end connections make the Web smarter for you. At this stage it's what we call next after Web 2.0.

    It can be confusing to talk about dynamics and tools as diverse as online technology and individual behavior in such reductive terms that don't really explain outcomes. For those, we are still referring to a human 1.0 ability, which is that to experience in first person.

    Maybe Web 3.0 is the Social Graph Tim Bernes-Lee was talking about in the Giant Global Graph?

“It's not the Social Network Sites that are interesting — it is the Social Network itself. The Social Graph. The way I am connected, not the way my Web pages are connected. We can use the word Graph, now, to distinguish from Web. I called this graph the Semantic Web, but maybe it should have been Giant Global Graph!”

    Francois Gossieaux, publisher of Emergence Marketing, shared here that the Web 3.0 will come and it will be much bigger than just having artificial agents... and take much longer. In my mind this depends on availability and adoption.

    Stephen Baker at BusinessWeek picked up the thread and added that the best way to use those tools will be to relinquish much of our control. He seems to imply that I intend these Artificial Intelligence (AI) agents to limit our circles of knowledge.

    Au contraire, I think the opposite will happen — we will come upon content and people related to what we are seeking in a more deliberate fashion and in much less time. Which in turn has the potential to enrich our knowledge further. Reference library anyone? To further Stephen's excellent use of the word system, I think that the system will be our network, the AI agents the channel. People, process and technology all at your service.

    We are in charge — need to open up the pipe a little? Tweak your parameters, chat with a few people in your network to seek introductions to others, and voila', more or different comes in. Maybe I'm oversimplifying, but am I exaggerating?

    Mario Vellandi talked about how strong usability coupled with the support of a dedicated brand -- partners, parent company, distributors, fans — is paramount to differentiation and co-optation. Usability and trusted brands in response to the sheer volume and onslaught of information.

    In today's parlance we're talking about brand evangelism and word of mouth marketing. Maybe the term marketing will go away, more likely it will be more evident what its original meaning is — merchant of ideas.

    A marketer detects a need, then uses a story embedded with values to sell the idea of goods and services. These values are in fact tags we respond to, except for today all we have to find stories that resonate is serendipity through word of mouth, company-driven marketing efforts, and the capabilities of search engines.

    Our minds can be wide open, if our attention and time are preoccupied with what is the result of push technology, they will quickly be filled with a lot of stuff, just maybe not the stuff we needed. For that, there is some more marketing that will convince us we actually do need it.

    Peter Imbres talks about connection brokers. I would have not found Stephen and Peter's remarks had it not been for tags and links — tags and trackback are automatic ways to signal. I would have not had the material to further this conversation without the help of ideas from people I follow in my RSS reader, which I select and control.

    If I didn't allow comments, I would have missed the excellent remarks by Gavin Heaton on how Web 2.0 has not run its course yet and both its technology and philosophy have the potential to change and shape the world or by John Dodds and Carolyn Ann on the need for data security.

    Carolyn Ann also added that at-source encryption, taking cyber-crime seriously, and so on are all measures those active in this brave new world should be considering and that the money is in memory, not processors, because it is needed more. I do allow comments, so for today I am in expansive mode.

    I will be developing this thread over time seeking opportunities to provide real life examples of applications particularly as they relate to marketing and communications. 

 

Comments

[Valeria Maltoni]

Susan,

In very practical terms, I think we as humans are constantly trying to make sense of the world we live in. Part of that is how we make commerce -- both of ideas to sustain our spirit and mind, and tools/things to sustain our bellies so to speak.

Your observation reminds me of a philosophy discussion I had on Giambattista Vico and the cycles in history. As well, we go back to tried methods after the new shiny toys don't work or are too much work ;-)

[Susan Cellura]

Maybe I am missing something, but it sounds to me that we'll be reaching back to the tried and true method of networking, building relationships, etc., but in a manner where we manipulate the tools more effectively versus allowing the tools to manipulate us. By that I mean, right now I think many of us who are new to Web 2.0 are trying to catch up and thus jump on bandwagons. Of course, some people who have been around Web 2.0 for much longer also seem to jump on and off bandwagons.

[Valeria Maltoni]

@Jarrod -- I'm still not sure why greater choice we can manage with better tools is a problem. Funny how nobody has come in and talked about how that would be good v. control by entities. Choice is good in my book.

@Carolyn Ann -- underground was never a good place for me. I think it's the molds I have allergies. Today we praise and encourage the efforts of small businesses that use the tools at hand to grow. As I said in my post maybe I am oversimplifying and I'm sure that without the requisite funds this is far and away. Nonetheless, what we have today is not sustainable. I find myself tuning out more frequently and I am a curios learner! I think the term "control" freaks people out. All it means is more deliberate choice.

@Mario -- no question about it, people have an even greater role. And yes, design is very important in all this. I gave up on TV a long time ago. Now I watch videos on my computer ;-) It's good to have the conversation and think of possibilities.