BASeWEB’04 Panel Session       3:30-5:00pm

NRC Integrated Manufacturing Technologies Institute (NRC-IMTI), London, Ontario, May 16, 2004.

Machine Learning for Business Agents and the Semantic Web: Successes and Challenges

Moderator:  Daniel L. Silver, Acadia University

Daniel L. Silver is an Assistant Professor in the Jodrey School of Computer Science, Acadia University.  Danny undertakes research in the areas of Machine Learning, Data Mining and User Adapted Software within the Intelligent Information Technology Research Laboratory (IITRL).  He also develops curriculum and lectures on the subjects of Software Engineering and E-Commerce Technology.  Prior to coming to Acadia, Danny was a member of the Faculty of Management, Dalhousie University where he was an Associate to the Killam Chair in Business Informatics. He is the founder and president of CogNova Technologies, a consultancy specializing in data mining technologies and management methods.

Panel Members:

Charles Ling, University of Western Ontario.  Charles Ling is currently an Associate Professor of the Department of Computer Science at The University of Western Ontario and Director of Data Mining and e-Business Lab. He has done extensive research in machine learning, data mining, and cognitive modeling.  Charles strives to answer the following interrelated questions: How to program computers to learn and improve automatically (machine learning), and how to apply machine learning to business, industries, and bioinformatics (data mining). How to make computers exhibit intelligent behaviours (cognitive science, AI). How to effectively teach children thinking strategies extracted from AI and cognitive science (child education).

Gord McCalla, University of  Saskatchewan.  Gord McCalla has been involved in artificial intelligence (AI) research for over 35 years. Much of this research is in the artificial intelligence in education (AIED) sub-discipline and can be characterized by the goal of personalizing an e-learning system's interactions with each of the learners using it. Current research includes work on aspects of an agent-based peer collaboration system (I-Help), the development of environments to encourage learner reflection, and research into the intelligent management of learning object repositories to support individual learner differences. Gord McCalla is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Saskatchewan and a founding member of the Laboratory for Advanced Research in Intelligent Educational Systems (ARIES), a world-renowned research group situated in the Department. He is currently co-principal investigator of the University of Saskatchewan node in the national NSERC-funded Learning Object Repositories Network (LORNET). He is also President of CACS/AIC, the Canadian organization of University Computer Science Departments.

Bruce Spencer, National Research Council,  Fredericton, New Brunswick.  Bruce Spencer  is the group leader of the Internet Logic Group of the National Research Council, Institute for Information Technology-e-Business, and an adjunct professor of computer science at the University of New Brunswick. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Waterloo in 1990. His research interests center on automated reasoning, applying reasoning systems to the Web, artificial intelligence, logic programming, and software engineering.

Objective:

The purpose of the panel is present unique perspectives on the role of machine learning technology for business agents and the semantic web and to invoke lively discussion on the material presented during the workshop. 

Proposed Agenda:

The session will run from 3:30-5:00pm starting immediately after the last talk.  Each speaker will have 15 minutes to present their points of view on the major successes and challenges in the application of AI, particularly machine learning technology, to business agents and the semantic web.  Following each speaker there will be a brief question and answer period to clarify points made by that speaker.  Following the last speaker there will be general discussion the major points of which will be recorded for the workshop. 

Background:

In preparing for the panel discussion, each of the panellists have been asked to consider, although not feel limited to the following topics:

  1. Review interesting applications to date and summarize successes and lessons learned.

  2. Describe a view of the future in terms of learning/adaptive systems/agents for E-Business and the Semantic Web

  3. Explore major open questions such as: