Conference heron::euro_swas_ai

    Looks good George - only comment might be that the title "Emerging
    Tech's" could be misleading (although if one reads through the
    accompanying text, the AI focus is clear). It would be nice to have the
    word "intelligent" in the title somewhere.
    
    jim kane

Content looks about right and the technology mentioned has practical 
application in the context of some known Customer problems. 

I support Jim's comments (ref .1) concerning more specific title in order 
to make it clear which Technology segment we are focussing on.

I think it would be a good idea to mention our intentions to deliver solutions
on mixed platforms, i.e. VAX, PC's and LAPTOPs, VMS/ULTRIX, MS/DOS etc...

Joe.

    George's proposal looks very promising. Is it possible to state
    with each paragraph the name of (forthcoming) products or ASSETs ?
    This would help to shape the audience. 
    
    Joe's proposal for discussion of delivery on various (mixed) platforms
    may be very helpful in underlining the integration know how of the AI
    competence community. Many people still believe we're working on some
    exotic (knowledge) islands. 
    
    Somehow,  a reference to the proposed domain specific shells seems
    to be missing.
    
    Good Luck, George 
    
       

    Thanks for your comments.
    
    Dirk : I think we need a little more time to look at specific
    tools/products to be used to illustrate this seminar. Unfortunately the
    agenda has to go out NOW, so the subject areas have to be a little more
    general than one would like....
    
    The important thing is to get the areas right, and to make sure it is
    clear that we WILL illustrate these topics with relevant tools and
    applications.
    
    George
    

    George,
    
    I agree with Jim's and Joe's comments. Anyway the title "Advanced
    Technologiesis very encouraging and I's suggest to keep it; but
    to do that you've the explore the whole set of advanced technologies
    exhisting under the CASE umbrella.
    So, you'd include Object Oriented Programming (good opportunity
    to speak about Trellis we're announcing) and about Hypertexts (good
    opportunity to speak about our Memex). Actually there's a bit of
    counfusion and misleading in defining what're the differences between
    AI and hypertexts. A lot of people think that Hypertexts will replace
    in a short future the ESs. I've never heard so big stupidities!
    The problem is that these statements  are more and more frequently
    done by those "gurus" wandering about the world to pick up money
    organizing seminars on hypertexts. I think it's time that a referenced
    speaker like Digital makes a correct "distinguo" between these
    technologies, explaining that hypertexts and expert systems will
    are complementary for many applications.
    
    Bye folks
    
    Riccardo
    

George,

I agree with the 'Emmerging Technologies' statement.

For this reason I think Object-Oriented-Databases is an area that cannot be
avoided. 

Luc

    The intention is to cover OO, OODB, CASE etc. etc. in the "Links with
    other technologies" section, but not in too much depth. 
    
    Hypertext should be discussed too! 
    
    We will take every opportunity to talk about relevant products,
    "AI" or not.
    
    The title will now be "Emerging Knowledge-Based Technologies" which of
    course will upset purists who say that Neural nets are not "knowledge-
    based"!! 
    
    Please keep up the good advice!
    
    George
    
    George
    

    I too think that the agenda is right and also agree that we need to
    avoid the term "Artificial Intelligence" in the title. Contrary to
    Datamation and Index magazines surveys that put AI in the category of
    the top 5 technologies of interest to them, people within Digital
    Europe think that AI is dead. Let's drop the label and start getting on
    with selling the benefits of advanced or emerging technologies now that
    they are starting to sell.
    
    Pat

    In line with the preceding reply, I thought that I would share with you
    a memo that was successful in putting AI back into DECville as a
    workshop. I hope that you will freely use any of these arguments to
    help remind people that Knowledge-Based systems are alive and well!
    
    PAt
    =====================================================================
    
Subject: DECville Workshop request

    Ladies and Gentlemen,
    
    I have just recently returned from the US and have found that the AI 
    Workshop has been dropped from the DECville agenda. I understand that 
    the consensus amongst the decision committee was that "AI is dead in 
    Digital Europe" and that "Expert Systems are old hat &/or vaporware".
    
    I would like to very briefly address these issues and explain to you 
    why it is imperative to include a Knowledge-based Systems workshop in 
    the DECville agenda.
    
    "Old Hat?"
    
    In a recent INDEX consulting group report devoted to the top 20 issues 
    facing IS managers, knowledge-based technologies rank in the top 5 
    technologies that IS managers are currently concerned with. This 
    ranking is consistent with other recent studies and is also included in 
    Digitals identified top 5 strategic technologies. Nolan and Gibson's 
    have a widely accepted model of IT Assimilation is one of four phases:
    
    Phase 1 - Investment/project initiation
    
    Phase 2 - Technology learning and adaptation
    
    Phase 3 - Rationalization/management control
    
    Phase 4 - Maturity/widespread technology transfer
    
    The classical IS community as a whole is moving knowledge-based 
    technology out of Phase 3 and into Phase 4. This technology has left 
    the age of "blue smoke and mirrors" and is an accepted technology ready 
    to be exploited on a wide scale. The technology may not have the 
    glamour that it once had (to the benefit of the industry), but it 
    certainly has revenue generating potential emerging on a broad front.
    
    "Vaporware?"
    
    Last year in Digital, we realize a $200 million internal cost savings 
    attributed to knowledge-based products. Financial consultants 
    determined $120 million in H/W, S/W and services revenue directly 
    attributed to AI. Financial consultants do not use vaporware in these 
    calculations.
    
    "AI is dead in Digital Europe?"
    
    As with almost every other organizational entity within Digital Europe, 
    the AI organization has been in the midst of change. We are on the 
    verge of announcing a new organization structure, direction and set of 
    services offerings to take advantage of this window of opportunity as 
    the industry is moving knowledge-based technologies out of the research 
    labs and into day-to-day operations. We have been hoping to use this 
    DECville workshop as a vehicle to announce these changes.
    
    The following is an extract of the US announcement of an expanded AI 
    Fellowship program...
    
    "
    The AI Technology Center created the AI FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM for selected
    businesses that are ripe for growth and ready to enter the 
    Knowledge-Based Systems arena.  These accounts are searching for new 
    ways to increase revenues and to cut costs in order to stay 
    competitive.  
    
    Over the past 2.5 years the AI Fellowship Program has help to leverage 
    incremental sales revenue from such world wide accounts as British 
    Telecom, Thomson, Philips, Alcatel, F. Hoffman La Roche, Nissan Motors, 
    Defasco Steel, USX, Westinghouse and MCI. 
    
    INCREASE IN CLASSROOM/CONSULTING CAPACITY 
    
    Jack Smith's endorsement and commitment of funding insures that the 
    Program will retain its status as one of the premier, strategic 
    programs offered by Digital.  Funding has been approved to increase the 
    number of world-wide FELLOWS we can accept over the next 3.5 years.
    
    	FY 90            50 SLOTS
    	FY 91		100 SLOTS
    	FY 92		200 SLOTS
    	FY 93		250 SLOTS
    ..."
    
    Our announcements at DECville will hub around this announcement and the 
    fact that all phases of the Fellowship will be delivered in Europe. 
    This includes a multi-week Knowledge Engineering training program with 
    4 month apprenticeship program in Valbonne France and a core team of 
    Digital knowledge engineers to perform follow-up solutions work with 
    the accounts.
    
    By the time of DECville, 13 strategic European accounts will have 
    completed a Fellowship program. So far I have commitment from 9 of 
    those accounts to bring the Fellow along with his or her corporate 
    sponsor to participate in one of these workshops. The use of the 
    workshop in this context is to discuss the NEXT STEP issues involved. 2 
    VAX 9000 sales have already been attributed to the Fellowship program 
    and DECville workshops provide a perfect setting for cementing future 
    relationships. Commitments have been made that planning meetings will 
    be held in July to define the agenda for each meeting so that the 
    presentations and participants will make proposals consistent with the 
    account plan. We have the commitment of the most senior Digital AI 
    management from the US to attend and support the account teams in these 
    workshops.
    
    Given Digitals desire to distinguish itself as a DIFFERENTIATED 
    solutions supplier, please reconsider your decision and allow us to 
    show and capitalize on our unique expertise and positioning in the 
    marketplace.

Distribution:

TO:  Remote Addressee                     ( TONY BARRETT @OUO )
TO:  Remote Addressee                     ( MICHAEL ACHESON @VBO )

CC:  Remote Addressee                     ( ED ORCIUCH @VBO )
CC:  Remote Addressee                     ( THEMIS PAPAGEORGE @DLB )
CC:  Remote Addressee                     ( PASCAL COUTIER @VBO )
CC:  Remote Addressee                     ( CARL HEMINGWAY @VBO )

    Y'd to summarize some conclusions about this note that can surely
    affect the European AI activities.
    
    The point is:
    
    		Are we moving through a "product activity" or a
    		"program activity"?
    
    looking the title I've assumed you're organizing a "program activity"
    devoted to explain to the seminar participants what is our "emerging
    techologies service". Of course this's a "global" service including
    ESs, hypertexts, OOP miscellanea and so on. This is what the customer
    need today. They want a "global" service that unfortunately Digital
    today not yet is ready to offer?
    
    Why this? Because we're still structured "by products" so,.... the
    organization of a such kind of seminar requires the involvment of
    the Memex product Mgr, of the Trellis product Mgr and probably
    many other "product" people.
    
    Anyway, the fashion is changing "PROGRAM" is the new (and I'm
    convinced alsothe only RIGHT) vawe to ride the changing market.  
    Surely a strong effort is needed to make it real, but, I think that 
    a seminar on the emerging technolgies will be more successfull than a 
    seminar on the emerging KB technologies. This last one again "drops"
    in a product activity. It's limited only to AI and it doesn't match
    with new DEC strategy devoted to offer a global service to the
    customer. A service on the emerging techologies is not done only by AI.
                                        
    Ciao
    
    Riccardo
    

Keep the feedback going, so far it is good and could help us make the seminar
sucessful; what about the opinion of the other 95% of our "Noters" - have you no
constructive comments on the subject??

Joe.

    
    
    Looking at AI in a production environment really means integration is
    essential. Integrated solution projects with an AI or OO flavor 
    require a special kind of integrated methodology. While most
    project managers are happy to use the DPM bible, KEs and OO programers
    as well as 4th GLers have made extensive use of prototyping. In DPM,
    there is only one page about throw away prototypes (DEMOs). 
    
    Those of us in Europe who are trying to deliver intgrated solutions with 
    the new tech flare are in need of a consistant manageable PROJECT 
    methodology which is credible also to formal PMs. We need to communicate 
    this PM consistancy to our customers. And we may need to define actions 
    (ie...AI forum...*an active one...*workshop*)to define an acknowledged 
    "new tech" methodology in Europe which conforms to DPM. 
    
    Presently, Steve Hodge (UK) and I have been putting some ideas
    together hybridizing DPM and our ideas from experience and
    others(ie..Spiral, Walters, Scan) together so that we have one message
    to give customers which works for commercial contract situations.
    We are using this now for our projects and we have learned alot!
    
    When DEC consultants get invoved across country borders this is very
    important. 
    
    Feedback from a customer who attended from Switzerland last customer
    seminar, was quite critical when he found that in Valbonne yet ANOTHER 
    Dec methodology was presented. 
    
    "New tech" needs more credibility and a consistant methodology is just 
    the start.
    
    Let's get started EUROPE! 
    
    Caroline 
    
     
    
    
    
    

    Completely agree with Caroline. We are sure that implementing
    our (successful) AI projects using the "classical" DPM would have killed
    them in the first stage. Fortunately we could work around using the
    guide to expert systems program management and telling customers
    that AI projects are so much different.
    
    On the other hand, DPM is what our internal project groups have to 
    adhere to. If we want emerging technologies to be accepted in larger
    projects, we have to make sure that DPM is adapted to those technologies
    and that ready-to-use SW becomes available (NOT Field Test SW). We all
    know well that emerging technologies don't care about DPM. However,
    we'll loose credibility if DPM and emerging technologies point into
    different directions.
    
    Let's stay credible !
    Dirk Bade
    
    

I don't want to sidetrack this Seminar note too much but Manufacturing I.S. are
working hard to understand and implement the DMR lifecycle methodology. This one
DOES have a section on prototyping but does not quite match the requirements
of Expert Systems development.

We pointed this out to Mfg I.S. and we have been asked to volunteer
to provide a way of integrating the two. Any ideas from other sources on their
experiences of linking ES methods to traditional lifecycles would improve the
chances of success.

If this seminar is for customers I wonder whether a workshop with them to
wade through the issues would necessarily help us to understand them. Perhaps
we need a session prior to this where we can brainstorm ideas and get them
agreed and down on paper. ( lets get ONE Message ourselves first )

Anyway, back to the seminar ...

Regards,

	Simon

Does a final date/agenda exist which we can use to recrute our customers?
Is the next AI-forum already scheduled (just before/after the customer event)?

								Hans.

The next forum will take place immediately after the Customer Seminar, that is
the 29,30,31 October and the 1st November.

Announcement is on its way.

G.

    Many people (customers but also DEC salesmen) don't know that DEC
    invest the 11% of its revenues in R&D. No other companies do the
    same! It's a pity because these researches make DEC different from
    the competition.
    
    When we forget to display the results of these researches, we forget
    to use one of the most powerful tool to show the gap between DEC
    and the competition. Usually sales don't do that. This's one of
    the most important causes of the growing DEC business difficulties.
    
    We cannot display the difference in the hw. (I-VAX, FT3000, 9000)
    but... can display the difference in the sw (AI, Neural nets, OOP,
    Hypertexts).
    
    Let's do that! The "seminar password" should be:
    
    		LET'S SHOW TO THE USERS WHERE DEC RI-INVESTS THE
    		11% OF ITS REVENUES.
    
    I think this's what the customers whant to listent to
    
    Riccardo
    

    Hey Riccardo! Here's a couple more facts that I was surprised to
    learn...
    
    Quotes from The Spang Robinson Report on Artificial Intelligence, July
    1990...
    
    From the article titled "The AI Industry - KBS Industry Statistics and
    Forecasts"
    
    "With the changes in the maturing industry, this year we are changing
    the statistics we track. We have eliminated AI hardware, and focus on
    the top ten vendores of knowledge-based systems software and
    services...
    
    Industry revenue is continuing to climb at about 30 percent annually
    and expected to be a $250 million business this year, rising to $410
    million by 1992. Software accounts for 52% of revenue, services the
    rest...
    
    Digital and TI have largest market share -- Digital is the largest KBS
    vendor with slightly over 25% market share. TI and Intellicorp are in
    second place, together equalling Digital's stake, followed closely by
    Aion...
    
    The U.S. has the lion's share -- In 1990 the U.S. will account for 66.4
    percent of the market, Europe 18.6 and Japan 15 percent."
    
    Not bad, eh?
    
    Now the challenge is to help in the European introduction of the
    technology and maintain our market share. With the recent announcement
    of the European AI Program Office, I think we are well positioned to do
    it.