Until
next week, 
Intelligent Machine Post:
Taking Stock of AI Companies
Dateline: July 12, 1998
AI and robotics stocks will be the next darlings of Wall Street, once the glitter of Internet stocks fades as the Street starts looking for real business performance (actual operating profit, and not just stock performance based on future potential). Here is just a sample, culled at random from the news wires, of some companies worth watching.
For more information on the stories and companies mentioned, check out the Web links I have provided.
Teknowledge
Harry Eisenberg, chairman of Walker's Manual LLC, which publishes analyses of over-the-counter small stocks, currently favors Teknowledge Corp., an AI software and consulting firm founded by a group of scientists from the Stanford Research Institute in 1981.
Associative Computing, Inc.
Another firm to watch is Associative Computing, Inc., a developer of intelligent agents, speech I/O interfaces, natural language processing, machine learning and reasoning, "and other AI technology," whatever that means. ACI recently agreed to acquire Cygron Research & Development, Ltd., a Hungarian research and development company focusing on AI-based executive information systems and decision support.
Cygron won the 1997 European IT Prize for Novelty and Technical Excellence for its DataScope data mining system. Its other products include neural networks, genetic and ID3 algorithms, and fuzzy sets.
ACI's development partners and customers include Lernout & Hauspie (the automatic speech recognition company part-owned by Microsoft—see my review (part 1 and part 2) of its VoiceXpress product), Creative Technology, and Yahoo!. Earlier this year ACI launched a subsidiary R&D compamy in Budapest, Associative Computing, Ltd. (ACL).
Safeguard Scientifics and Arista Learning Systems, Inc.
Safeguard Scientifics, Inc., a strategic information systems company and its affiliated venture fund, Pennsylvania Early Stage Partners, recently took a 48.5% stake in Arista Learning Systems, Inc., whose first product, Accredix, targets the Internet-based distance learning market, enabling users to manage and deliver any digital content, track activity with all learners, accommodate commercial transactions, protect intellectual property rights, and report learner activities and progress in extreme detail. Accredix can perform these functions on a real-time basis while acting as a flexible network-based interface for learners, instructors, and managers. For use in non-networked standalone mode, the software has a built-in intelligent agent that interacts with the user. The company is targeting military, corporate, and educational customers.
Intraspect Software
Intraspect Software is a corporate intranet knowledge management company headed by a former president of Pacific Bell Network Integration. The company was founded by academic experts in AI and human-computer interaction. Its applications help organizations to capture, organize, share, and reuse the intellectual capital of employees. It captures information from virtually any electronic source—including Web pages, e-mail messages, desktop files and documents (text and graphics), and external news feeds—and then "optimizes" (whatever that means) what employees and others know about their colleagues, customers, and competitors.
Top Image Systems and dakota imaging
dakota imaging, inc. (for some reason, they do not capitalize the name) makes expert-system-based automated forms processing software for UNIX systems. TiS (which adds to the confusion by capitalizing the I in Image but not in its abbreviation) does the same for Windows NT systems. UNIX is capable of very high volume transactions; NT is OK for low to medium-volume transactions. The two companies have recently gotten together to offer each other's products to their customers. dakota high-volume customers include Blue Cross–Blue Shield, Guardian Life, and the State of Ohio.
Brightware Inc.
This self-proclaimed "market leader in automated customer interaction on the Net" provides AI-based software for customer service applications. Brightware's products "intelligently interact with on-line customers, giving them an automated experience on the Net that rivals the experience they would have on the phone or in person with company marketing, sales and service employees." Brightware also offers custom integration of its ART*Enterprise AI engine with third-party software, e.g.:
I think this is enough to show the kind of company whose products will
increasingly be in demand, as AI grows smarter than expensive and unreliable
humans. Watch for market valuations of AI companies to soar, and for Microsoft
to start to try to establish a monopoly in this area too (as it has already
begun to do with regard to automatic speech recognition software).
Until
next week,
NEXT WEEK: Probably another issue of EEEK!, Ellis's Endangered Employment Katalog.
Help Wanted: Got questions or comments on this article or on any other AI-related subject under the sun? Post it in the AIBB!