Assignment One

Assignment 1 - Fall 2005
Journalism 791 - Prof. Lenert
Marti Howell

“Intelligent agents 'lock in' on consumer tastes”

Intelligent agents, like many creatures born of the
Internet, are only as useful as one makes them.
Abandoning one's preferences entirely to web go-fors
can be dangerous… or at least terribly boring.

It can start slowly, innocently. A busy professional
or student or housewife allows the personal agent to
ascertain what is junk mail and what is not. Then the
agent is permitted to empty the trash from the e-mail
accounts automatically. Then, it is allowed to filter
news stories for the user.

Feeling confident that all angles are covered, the
actual person never looks in the bulk folder, never
checks the trash, seldom consumes news not “pushed”
through an agent.

What harm could possibly come of that scenario?
Inevitably, they miss something that would otherwise
be important to them.

To understand the potential for disaster, let us
consider one specific example. I purchase a number of
things on Amazon.com. I have an account through which
I purchase textbooks, CDs and DVDs for my boyfriend
and Christmas gifts for my family and friends.

Recently, I opened a second account at Amazon. I have
used it only to buy CDs to accompany my Tai Chi
sessions. Therefore, that Amazon account reflects only
my interest in Tai Chi-appropriate recordings. That
way, I can go to that Amazon account and not have to
wade through six suggestions on stargazing guides (I
once bought several for Jac) and seventeen tomes on
travel writing (one of my classes). At my “Tai Chi”
account, I see only what's new and exciting in whale
song CDs.

That brings us to a downside of intelligent agents.
Using the Amazon example, I am “locked in” to certain
“pushes” on my “Tai Chi” account. Should I discover
that ska CDs facilitate my sessions, the intelligent
Amazon agent must be informed in order to accommodate
me. In addition, by not shopping around every time I
go on Amazon, I am undoubtedly missing opportunities
to expand my Tai Chi horizons.

My Yahoo news alerts illustrate this point as well. I
have one set up for news regarding confessed serial
murderer Dennis Rader, as his case affects my
research. For me, this represents a useful agent
application

At one point, however, I set up a news alert for
“earthquakes.” I soon had to revise that one to read
“earthquakes - geological events” as I was getting a
large volume of news on the “Earthquakes” sports team.


Intelligent agents are technology. Like all
technology, they lose their effectiveness when used
improperly.

One element of this story that I would like to examine
more closely is the idea that a team of intelligent
agents could translate into more time - I mean, really
a lot more time - for us to pursue things that
interest us. Time - now there is a valuable commodity.


It will depend on well I can manage how my agents
manage everything else.

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