Command Sail: a prototype knowledge base system for a commander´s associate

A project which resulted in developing a prototype structure called Command Sail was undertaken to explore key concepts related to the design of an intelligent associate. The concept of an intelligent associate is considered to include the notion that a machine will assist a human problem solver in a manner sophisticated enough to replace many, perhaps all, of the tasks normally given to a human assistant. It is assumed that any practical assistant must be not only fast and as accurate and informative as required and as is practical within some potentially fuzzy set of requests, but must also be capable of understanding orders and requests which subsume a potentially vast background (knowledge domain) and current context, both of which the user takes for granted in phrasing his side of the dialog. These ideas are explored in some detail, particularly with respect to a knowledge shell to illustrate requirements and mechanisms needed by a prototype intelligent associate