Agents Know-bots, Robots & A.I. By: Brandy S.N. Ervin

What is an Agent? Bio/Chemically An instrument by which something is done or caused TeachingLib/Guides/In ternet/FindInfo.html Software That requests files from Websites and then catalogs and returns. All metasites and search engines are based on this technology

How Does It Work?

Tools of Agents Web crawlers Spiders Crawlers “know-bots” “knowledge-bots” Computer robot programs used by search engines to roam the WWW via the Internet, visit sites & databases, keeping the search engine up to date

Spiders Crawl………. Obtain new pages Update known pages Delete obsolete pages Return to “home” database….. ……. but sometimes…

…problems arise…

Link Rot Most large search engines operate with several at a time but the task of combing the web can take six months so out- datedness can result. URL’s have been changed but the crawlers have not been able to keep up or track of it

The Invisible Web Spiders cannot or will not enter into database and extract content as they can/would from static Web pages Tend to be specialty & subject specific data based & son on These entries tend to be very current, dynamically changing information News Job listings Available airlines flights, etc. Also not gathered are non-textual files such as Multimedia Graphical files Non-standard formats (PDF)

Sometimes Things Work out as Planned!

Search Engine Mechanism & Ranked Order S.E.M Software that enables users to query the index (database containing a copy of each Web page gathered by the spider) & that usually returns results in terms relevance to a ranking order Ranking Order The reason why a URL is in the numerical position it is in in a list of results from a performed search 2 types 1 st generation: Closer to top of list if search term appears many times, near beginning of document close together in document, in the document title, etc. 2 nd generation: New system of finding by/results based by concept, keyword site links or popularity.

Spiders are indiscriminant: They may gather material that is outdated, inaccurate, inappropriate,or incomplete..but.. Software can be conventional, proactive, semi-autonomous & adaptive

Kardas On Everything Robots Robots are physical & represent a step up from simple automation Robots can vary wildly in intelligence Simplest robots are unintelligent & depend on simple environments & precise placement to work More unintelligent robots are able to deal successfully with complex environments & can tolerate imprecision

And Still…More Kardas… Artificial Intelligence Studies the rules governing complex systems Mimics biological life, “creating” & “killing” computer “organisms” & watching how those entities exist over time on screen. Agents linked to AI (virtual servants?)

“ Coming up with a once-and- for- all definition of agenthood is so difficult: one persons intelligent agent is another persons “smart” object & today’s “smart” object is tomorrows “dumb” program.”

Good Internet Agents Are… Communicative: Understand Able to understand users goals preferences & constraints/parameters Ex. Track& Field Track –Competition –Humans »Male »Female –Races »400meter »200hurdles Field Competition Olympics Javelin Hammer throw Shot-put

Good Agents Are… Capable: Think –Make options rather than simply provide advice ( A.I.? Soft?) Autonomous: Do –Able to act without the user being in control the whole time Ex. Webnews autosearches Adaptive: Learn –Able to learn from experience about both its tasks & its users preferences

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