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Powerset: Natural and Semantic Search
- 4. Outline: Search, Natural Language, Powerset Powerset
What is Powerset, what are we doing?
Why now?
Why natural language is good for search
Why search is good for natural language
What does it require?
© 2008 Powerset Page 2
- 5. Converging trends Powerset
Language technology
► (Relatively) efficient and mature language computation (XLE)
► Large scale grammars (Pargram)
Lexical and ontological knowledge resources
► Existing: Wordnet, verbnet, framenet, SUMO…
► Data-driven acquisition methods
Moore’s law
► Computing and storage cheap enough now, getting cheaper
Open source software
► Cluster management, map-reduce, big-table
► Effect: can now down-load Google/Yahoo core competencies
Commodity computing: Amazon EC2, S3, SDS
© 2008 Powerset Page 3
- 6. Time for a change Powerset
Google
Overture
Yahoo!
InfoSeek
Lycos
Text Keywords Natural
Breakthrough Directory CPC Auction
analysis Page Rank Language
1993 1995 1997 1999 2007
© 2008 Powerset Page 4
- 7. Powerset Overview Powerset
Powerset is a Consumer Search Company
• Natural Language is the next breakthrough in search;
• Powerset has exclusive rights to PARC’s Natural
Language Technology for Consumer Search;
• Powerset has the team, technology, organization, and
financing to make it the new leader in Consumer Search
© 2008 Powerset Page 5
- 8. Natural language is good for search Powerset
Expressiveness
Precision
Natural Language Natural Language
Advanced Advanced
Search Search
Keywords Keywords
Recall Usability
Precision and Recall Good Better Best
Keywords Advanced Search Natural Language
Expressiveness and OK Better Best
Usability Usable: OK Expressive: Better (Maximizes Benefits)
Expressive: Bad Usable: Worse
(<5% use it)
© 2008 Powerset Page 6
- 9. Sample Query: When did Katrina strike Biloxi? Powerset
Results from Powerset Results from Google
© 2008 Powerset Page 7
- 10. Powerset product scope Powerset
Travel Health
► nonstop flights from san jose to tucson on ► why is my sweat orange?
united
► what is the top rated hotel near the convention ► what are experimental treatments for
center? depression?
► What are side effects of Prosac?
► what hotels in LA have conference facilities?
► How many calories in a big mac?
News
Shopping
► who acquired ask jeeves?
► what is the highest rated camcorder
► what internet companies made acquisitions this under $500?
year?
► what are complaints with the treo 650?
► what news is there about democratic
congressmen this month? ► what are products which can handle
► Who endorses Prop 16? electronic documents and paper
documents?
Business Entertainment
► what state is yahoo incorporated in? ► who is julia roberts dating now?
► what Asian countries export bananas? ► what action movie are people saying the
► what companies manufacture flat panel best things about this month?
displays? ► What are showtimes for romantic
► what public companies make copy protection comedies tonight?
software?
► how much did IBM spend on advertising in Local
2004? ► Who can I find nearby to fix my leaking
► How much did Google earn this quarter? toilet?
► What restaurants in Noe Valley deliver
People now?
► Papers by Barney Pell
► What did George Bush say this year about
Iraq?
© 2008 Powerset Page 8
- 11. Why now? Powerset
Ready for a change
Consumer Sentiment Search is central to users’ every day lives
“I rather search using English Keywordese can be confusing and annoying
than Keywordese” Google results are getting worse
Spam is killing search quality
Google proved that users switch when a better
search service is available
Experiencing Pain
Advertiser Sentiment Search is key to advertisers’ business
Managing keyword buys is a huge pain
“The longer the tail, the worse
the problem” Long tail audiences are getting tougher to reach
Spam is killing legitimate advertisers
Advertisers want better targeting capabilities
Advertisers go where the users go
© 2008 Powerset Page 9
- 12. Powerset Snapshot Powerset
Deep expertise in Natural Language Processing (with
Team Parc), Search Engineering, Consumer Services and Data
Center Management
Market $4B market in 2004 growing to $22B in 2010
Powerset’s A Core Search Engine based on Natural Language Processing
Unique with exclusive license rights from PARC that includes a working
Solution code base and 60 core patents
Status Beta product, 50+ employees, continued collaboration with
PARC team. Located in San Francisco, CA
Raised >$12M from top VCs and Angel Investors.
Financing
History
© 2008 Powerset Page 10
- 13. Summary Powerset
Search is now a central part of daily life
Natural language is the future of search
Deep syntactic and semantic processing (of text and
queries) will make a big difference
Language technology and computing infrastructure now
make it possible and economic
It requires gathering and integrating all the relevant,
best-of-breed components and technologies
Now is the time, Powerset is the place
© 2008 Powerset Page 11
