thettyofGeoffreyS.Goodfellow@sri-unix.UUCP (07/30/83)
TECHNOLOGY MEMO
By Dan Rosenheim
(c) 1983 Chicago Sun-Times (Independent Press Service)
IBM is experimenting with an artificial intelligence program that
may lead to machine recognition of social class, according to a
research report from International Resource Development.
According to the market research firm, the IBM program can
evaluate the style of a letter, document or memo and can criticize the
writing style, syntax and construction.
The program is called EPISTLE (Evaluation, Preparation and
Interpretation System for Text and Language Entities).
Although IBM's immediate application for this technology is to
highlight ''inappropriate style'' in documents being prepared by
managers, IRD researchers see the program being applied to determine
social origins, politeness and even general character.
Like Bernard Shaw's Professor Higgins, the system will detect
small nuances of expression and relate them to the social background
of the originator, ultimately determining sex, age, level of
intelligence, assertiveness and refinement.
Particularly intriguing is the possibility that the IBM EPISTLE
program will permit a response in the mode appropriate to the user and
the occasion. For example, says IRD, having ascertained that a letter
had been sent by a 55-year-old woman of Armenian background, the
program could help a manager couch a response in terms to which the
woman would relate.wisen@inmet.UUCP (08/10/83)
#R:sri-arpa:-373800:inmet:11000002:000:115 inmet!wisen Aug 9 13:13:00 1983 IBM EPISTLE sounds neat! I'd like to feed it a copy of James Joyce's ULLYSSES. -------------Bruce Wisentaner