WELD%MIT-OZ@MIT-MC.ARPA (09/24/84)
[Forwarded from the MIT bboard by Laws@SRI-AI.]
The AI revolving seminar this week is by David McAllester:
SEMANTIC MODULATION: A Relevance Based Inference Technique
The Reasoning Utility Package RUP provides a set of
propositonal inference mechanisms for constructing inference-based
data bases and reasoning systems. This talk will present new
inference mechanisms which can be incorporated into the RUP
architecture. These inference mechansisms reason about quantified
formula using a technique based on the "modulation" of the
interpretation of free parameters. By modulating the interpretation
of free parameters it is possible to perform a wide variety of
quantificational inferences without ever "consing" new formulae.
The semantic modulation inference mechanism relies on a notion
of relevance in propositional reasoning: when a formula is proven
one can determine a subset of premises relevant to the proof.
The relevant subset is usually smaller than the set of premises actually
used in the proof. Semantic modulation is also closely related to
the notions of "inheritance" and "virtual copy" used in semantic networks.
Time: 2:00PM Wednesday Sept. 26 (THIS Wednesday)
Place: 7th Floor Playroom