"'TaskTracer' to Revolutionize Computers"

KVAL 13 (OR) (12/20/04); Woodward, Dawn Marie

"Oregon State University (OSU) computer scientists have devised a new "TaskTracer" system that automatically organizes all the materials required for various projects using artificial intelligence and machine learning so that users can continue tasks effectively even after being sidetracked. "Our whole idea is to create a list of tasks you are working on at any one time, organize everything around those tasks and let you reclaim your desktop computer," notes OSU computer science professor and TaskTracer co-developer Jon Herlocker. TaskTracer enables the computer to constantly monitor the user's jobs, taking note of spreadsheets, emails, Web pages, folders, and other relevant materials, as well as identifying and furnishing access to materials employed in previous jobs that might be applicable to the task at hand. TaskTracer co-developer Tom Dietterich says the current system is chiefly compatible with PCs, but envisions a system that could be integrated with a phone and caller ID in the future. He says the system also features speech recognition software so that the outgoing side of phone conversations can be recorded and recovered, although the incoming side is not recorded due to legal and privacy issues. Such a system will be valuable to people in professions where multitasking is important, and OSU researchers believe TaskTracer will help boost productivity, lower stress levels, and guarantee that less information is lost as jobs continuously shift. "Ultimately, the computer itself will learn your operational approaches and you'll need to tell it less and less," Herlocker predicts. The researchers say TaskTracer will come with privacy interfaces and data encryption tools in order to shield personal information."

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