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References:
Title: A Conversational Interface to Web Automation
Authors: Tessa Lau, Julian Cerruti, Guillermo Manzato, Mateo Bengualid, Jefferey P. Bigham, and Jeffrey Nichols
Venue: UIST 2010, Oct 3-6, 2010
Summary:In this paper, the authors describe a server-based web script service that works automatically based on web commands. This interface, called CoCo (short for CoScripter Concierge, not Conan O' Brien) can take short commands from twitter, email, or SMS and quickly find and use a web script to automate the required task on its own.
It does this in three steps. First, it parses the plain language passed in for the parameters using a simple engine made by the authors. Then, if the command has been used before, CoCo uses the same script as before and runs the task with the parameters given. However, if CoCo has not run the task before, it tries two things to find a script. First, it mines the web history of the user to find a task and attempts to use those scripts to solve the problem. Failing that, it searches the CoScript database for a matching script and uses that instead. Finally, CoCo sends a response back to the user indicating the success or failure of the task.
After showing the run process and giving some usage examples, the authors show some statistics to prove that the text returned by CoCo of success or failure is useful to the user. They found that it worked as well as pictures to indicate that the job was completed correctly.
Discussion:
This paper was interesting for similar reasons to those of Watson from Jeopardy. Strong sentence syntax recognition is important to make computers easier for those who aren't very computer literate. Interfaces like these could be quite useful for other programs as well, for example that playlist maker from a few papers ago.
However, one thing that I definitely find unnerving is the data mining segment of this application. I can see why it would be useful, but I feel that data mining of any sort is an unsafe proposition, especially when the data is being sent to an external server. If a company was selling this software full time, they could probably use that data for possibly unsavory purposes.
(Picture courtesy of: popwatch.ew.com)
I think that this is really good because it can be done by mobile phone which should be really handy on the go. Since twitter, Facebook and SMS are relatively low in data and any phone can use these functions it should be really easy to use.
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