Episode description

Today we dive into the fascinating world of Cyc, an ambitious AI project initiated in 1984 by Douglas Lenat aimed at creating a massive knowledge base to enable human-like reasoning.

Lenat posited that achieving human-like intelligence in a machine would require several million rules, leading to the development of a knowledge database containing entries ranging from common sense to specialized expertise.

Cyc's knowledge base is built around "frames," conceptual units with slots for properties and entries for values, all organized in a global ontology and connected through a constraint language that allows for the expression of logical concepts such as quantification and disjunction. The system also employs "microtheories" to reconcile seemingly contradictory facts from different domains.

Originally funded as part of the Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation (MCC) consortium to counter a Japanese government computer initiative, Cyc eventually spun off into Cycorp after MCC dissolved. Cycorp has since utilized Cyc in various applications, from assisting researchers at the Cleveland Clinic to supporting US intelligence agencies in building a knowledge base on terrorism.

The podcast is based on Fisher, I. (2024, 17. April). Cyc: History’s forgotten AI project. Outsider. It can be found here.

Disclaimer: This podcast is generated by Roger Basler de Roca (contact) by the use of AI. The voices are artificially generated and the discussion is based on public research data. I do not claim any ownership of the presented material as it is for education purpose only.