This is the first joint post in a series where Findwise & SearchExplained, together decompose Microsoft’s realm with the focus on knowledge graphs and AI. The advent of graph technologies and more specific knowledge graphs have become the epicentre of the AI hyperbole.

The use of a symbolic representation of the world, as with ontologies (domain models) within AI is by far nothing new. The CyC project, for instance, started back in the 80’s. The most common use for average Joe would be by the use of Google Knowlege Graph that links things and concepts. In the world of Microsoft, this has become a foundational platform capacity with the Microsoft Graph.

It is key to separate the wheat from the chaff since the Microsoft Graph is by no means a Knowledge Graph. It is a highly platform-centric way to connect things, applications, users and information and data. Which is good, but still it lacks the obvious capacity to disambiguate complex things of the world, since this is not its core functionality to build a knowledge graph (i.e ontology).

From a Microsoft centric worldview, one should combine the Microsoft Graph with different applications with AI to automate, and augment the life with Microsoft at Work. The reality is that most enterprises do not use Microsoft only to envelop the enterprise information landscape. The information environment goes far beyond, into a multitude of organising systems within or outside to company walls.

Question: How does one connect the dots in this maze-like workplace? By using knowledge graphs and infuse them into the Microsoft Graph realm?

The model, artefacts and pragmatics

People at work continuously have to balance between modalities (provision/find/act) independent of work practice, or discipline when dealing with data and information. People also have to interact with groups, and imaged entities (i.e. organisations, corporations and institutions). These interactions become the mould whereupon shared narratives emerge.

Knowledge Graphs (ontologies) are the pillar artefacts where users will find a level playing field for communication and codification of knowledge in organising systems. When linking the knowledge graphs, with a smart semantic information engine utility, we get enterprise-linked-data that connect the dots. A sustainable resilient model in the content continuum.

Microsoft at Work – the platform, as with Office 365 have some key building blocks, the content model that goes cross applications and services. The Meccano pieces like collections [libraries/sites] and resources [documents, pages, feeds, lists] should be configured with sound resource descriptions (metadata) and organising principles. One of the back-end service to deal with this is Managed Metadata Service and the cumbersome TermStore (it is not a taxonomy management system!). The pragmatic approach will be to infuse/integrate the smart semantic information engine (knowledge graphs) with these foundation blocks. One outstanding question, is why Microsoft has left these services unchanged and with few improvements for many years?

The unabridged pathway and lifecycle to content provision, as the creation of sites curating documents, will be a guided (automated and augmented [AI & Semantics]) route ( in the best of worlds). The Microsoft Graph and the set of API:s and connectors, push the envelope with people at centre. As mentioned, it is a platform-centric graph service, but it lacks connection to shared narratives (as with knowledge graphs).  Fuzzy logic, where end-user profiles and behaviour patterns connect content and people. But no, or very limited opportunity to fine-tune, or align these patterns to the models (concepts and facts).

Akin to the provision modality pragmatics above is the find (search, navigate and link) domain in Office 365. The Search road-map from Microsoft, like a yellow brick road, envision a cohesive experience across all applications. The reality, it is a silo search still 😉 The Microsoft Graph will go hand in hand to realise personalised search, but since it is still constraint in the means to deliver a targeted search experience (search-driven-application) in the modern search. It is problematic, to say the least. And the back-end processing steps, as well as the user experience do not lean upon the models to deliver i.e semantic-search to connect the dots. Only using the end-user behaviour patterns, end-user tags (/system/keyword) surface as a disjoint experience with low precision and recall.

The smart semantic information engine will usually be a mix of services or platforms that work in tandem,  an example:

1. Semantic Tools (PoolParty, Semaphore)
2. Search and Analytics (i3, Elastic Stack)
3. Data Integration (Marklogic, Biztalk)
4. AI modules (MS Cognitive stack)

In the forthcoming post on the theme Beyond Office 365 unpacking the promised land with knowledge graphs and AI, there will be some more technical assertions.
Fredric Landqvist research blog
Agnes Molnar SearchExplained

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