The internet is entering a new phase of collaboration that many developers think Many Internet developers think will shift power away from old-line media and software companies while rapidly bringing about an age of computerized "augmentation" by blending the skills of tens of thousands of individuals.
A growing number of web sites are tapping into two underutilized resources: the brainpower and the good will of millions of Web users. These projects include sites where you can teach common sense to a computer, proofread classic literature for a free e-library and help maintain the most comprehensive directory of the Web. No experts need apply: these sites are designed specifically for nonspecialists, working alone, who supply simple information or perform basic tasks. Such projects already report a total volunteer corps of more than 100,000.
The Vines is an example of an emerging class of what are called self-organizing Web sites. Such sites are demonstrating that with a dab or two of well-written code and a bit of careful planning, a site can take a random collection of links or posts and turn them into a sophisticated, adaptive system.
Chris McKinstry, a computer scientist and an artificial intelligence expert, has embarked on a groundbreaking artificial intelligence project that aims to leverage the mind power of millions of Web surfers to teach a computer to approximate human thought.
Web users are being invited to help create the first model of human thought. By collecting "atoms of information" a Canadian scientist hopes to be able to teach a computer what it means to be human. Once created, the body of knowledge will be made available to other artificial intelligence researchers trying to make machines smarter or easier to interact with.