Some hope that there will be technological solutions to the glut of network information in the form of intelligent “agents” that learn what you want and search the network for matches. I doubt it. Certainly, searches will get better than the literal word matches currently required, but they will never evolve to the point that the computer search will have even the most rudimentary understanding. As a result, we will continue to rely on the recommendations of thoughtful people we have learned to trust. The only thing the network adds is that these experts can be anywhere.
Predictor: Tinker, Bob
Prediction, in context:In 1995, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology commissioned a series of white papers on various issues related to networking technologies. The department convened the authors for a workshop in November 1995 to discuss the implications. The following statement is taken from one of the white papers, “The Whole World in Their Hands,” by Bob Tinker, the president of Concord Consortium, he has a Ph.D. in physics from MIT and a reputation as a pioneer in constructivist uses of educational technology. Tinker writes:”Some hope that there will be technological solutions to the glut of network information in the form of intelligent ‘agents’ that learn what you want and search the network for matches. I doubt it. Certainly, searches will get better than the literal word matches currently required, but they will never evolve to the point that the computer search will have even the most rudimentary understanding. As a result, we will continue to rely on the recommendations of thoughtful people we have learned to trust. The only thing the network adds is that these experts can be anywhere.”
Date of prediction: January 1, 1995
Topic of prediction: Getting, Sharing Information
Subtopic: Intelligent Agents/AI
Name of publication: The Future of Networking Technologies for Learning
Title, headline, chapter name: The Whole World in Their Hands
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://www.ed.gov/Technology/Futures/
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney