INTELLIGENT AGENTS CREATE DUMB USERS (?)

摘要

At the recent NetMedia 97 conference at City University I watched a presentation by Steve Yelvington, Editor of the Star Tribune Online in Minneapolis. He was describing the development of an intelligent agent system called MOM (My Own Matrix) that the Star Tribune is developing to serve the needs of its readers. Yelvington talked of the problems of 'unstructured information' and he reinforced the need for institutions that disseminate information, such as newspapers and radio stations, to provide a filter for this information flow. He discussed and emphasised the way in which journalism, as an information provider, creates 'community [...] We are a force for social cohesion.' 369-372