Is artificial intelligence/natural language processing a futile pursuit?
syntience: Hi,I have decades of experience with old style AI and a decade of the new kind :-). I specialize in language understanding algorithms and near-pefect sentiment analysis is something I expect we'll be able to do eventually using the methods I've invented.The top level bit to worry about is whether you are attempting to re-do something that is already known not to work. Litmus tests: Are you using models of language such as grammars that are explicitly programmed in? Is your system specific to a single language so that switching to another would require complete re-coding? Do you employ linguists? If you answer yes to these, then you are in trouble.I discussed how to get a modern AI education in an early blog entry at http://monicasmind.comI propose a shift in direction of AI research in the second video at http://videos.syntience.com and explain why that's needed in the first one. Three more videos discuss details.I have a theory/motivational site (6 pages or so) at http://artificial-intuition.comI'm available for high level consultation on these issues. I worked at Google (I quit 2006) and although I cannot talk about what they do, I certainly will have an idea about what will be required to outperform them, both short term and long term.If anyone wants to support Syntience Inc. in our effort to get true understanding to computers, please get in touch.  - Monica Anderson
  http://syntience.com