Computer as Author -- Results and Prospects.
Abstract
For a computer program to be able to compose text is interesting both intellectually and practically. Artificial Intelligence research has only recently begun to address the task of creating coherent texts containing more than one sentence. One recent research has produced a new paradigm for organizing and expressing information in text. This paradigm, called Fragment-and-Compose, has been used in a pilot project to create texts from semantic nets. The method involves dividing the given body of information into many small propositional units, and then combining these units into smooth coherent text. So far the largest example written by Fragment-and-Compose has been two paragraphs of instruction about what a computer operator should do in case of indications of a fire. This report describes the text generation problem and anticipates a specific way to disseminate and use technical developments. It presents the research that led to creation of Fragment-and-Compose, including the largest example of computer-produced text. It also discusses the immediate problems and difficulties of elaborating Fragment-and-Compose into a general and powerful method. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1980
- Accession Number
- ADA081888
Entities
People
- James A. Moore
- William C. Mann
Organizations
- University of Southern California