Powerset Promises Natural Language Search - Patent from PARC
(Page 2 of 4 )
Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) has long been known for inventing things that other companies end up commercializing, earning it the title of "lab of missed opportunities." These include the graphical user interface and the Ethernet networking technology. But in a deal that took a year and a half to negotiate, it licensed its natural language technology to Powerset.
Fernando Pereira, chairman of the department of computer language and information science at the University of Pennsylvania, noted that the PARC natural language technology is among the "most comprehensive in existence." But is it good enough for search? "The question of whether this technology is adequate to any application, whether search or anything else, is an empirical question that has to be tested," he explained.
The PARC technology has 30 years of research backing it up. PARC researchers have been working with Powerset researchers for more than a year to build the prototype search engine. Indeed, Ron Kaplan, leader of PARC's natural language research group for several years, joined Powerset as chief technology officer. Kaplan had been approached by Google, but turned them down.
Yes, you read that right. Why would Kaplan turn down an established player like Google to work at Powerset? He doesn't think Google takes natural language search seriously enough. "Deep analysis is not what they're doing," he explained in an interview with VentureBeat. "Their orientation is toward shallow relevance, and they do it well." But Powerset is different; it "is much deeper, much more exciting. It really is the whole kit and caboodle."
Powerset has also hired a number of engineers away from Yahoo. One name from Yahoo that stands out is Tim Converse, an expert on web spam; another is Chad Walters, who worked for Yahoo as a search architect. The company also claims its employees have worked for Altavista, Apple, Ask, BBN, Digital, IDEO, IBM, Microsoft, NASA, Promptu, SRI, Tellme and Whizbang! Labs.
Before I go into what that technology can do, and what Powerset envisions itself becoming, it's worth noting that those patents are pretty ironclad. According to Powerset COO Steve Newcomb, it includes provisions that prevent any other company - such as Google - from getting access to the technology even if the other company acquires Xerox or PARC. That should be enough to give Google pause. But is the technology really enough to make the search giant start shaking in its boots?
Next: Looking at the Demos >>
More Search Engine News Articles
More By Terri Wells
