Computers that can comprehend natural language are no longer confined to realms of science fiction, according to University of Queensland cognitive scientist Dr Simon Dennis.
Speaking at media science forum in Sydney, Dr Dennis said his research team had developed new software that would improve dramatically the way computers interpret sentences and comprehend human language.
'The main breakthrough in our work has been the discovery of a method for extracting deep structure from a sentence directly from the text, without resorting to rules or dictionaries,' Dr Dennis explained.
'This has applications in developing more effective search engines and even developing automated essay marking'.
Dr Dennis, who is a Senior Research Fellow with the University of Queensland's Key Centre for Human Factors and Applied Cognitive Psychology, was speaking at a Science Forum at the Broadway campus of the University of Technology, Sydney today.
'We are currently in discussions with a number of organisations looking to exploit the opportunities arising from this new technology, and we are interested in discussing commercial prospects with new partners,' he said.
Dr Dennis said the potential applications of the technology - known as the syntagmatic paradigmatic model or SP software - may be even far broader than search engines and essay marking.
'Currently, the use of the Internet is dominated by the World Wide Web. However the hypertext structure of the web and course grain of existing search mechanisms can make locating the information you require very difficult,' he said.
'A more efficient method would be for you to issue your request in natural language and have the system construct a reply, incorporating information from multiple information sources, to provide you with exactly what you require.
'Our technology makes such a mechanism conceivable, and could replace the World Wide Web'.
Media: For further information, contact Robyn Vaughan (telephone 02 9514 25 81, email robyn.vaughan@uts.edu.au , Jenny Eather, UTS Science Communication (telephone 02 9514 2580, mobile 0417 207 156, email jennifer.eather@uts.edu.au , Dr Simon Dennis (telephone 07 3365 6778) or Peter McCutcheon at UQ Communications (telephone 07 3365 1088, email p.mccutcheon@mailbox.uq.edu.au
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