Knowbot

A knowbot is a kind of bot that automatically collects certain specified information from web sites.

KNOWBOT is the acronym for Knowledge-Based Object Technology. This term, used as early as 1988[1] and known to have been implemented by December 1989 at the latest[2] describes computer-based objects developed for collecting and storing specific information, to use that information to accomplish a particular task, and to enable sharing that information with other objects or processes. An early use of knowbots was to provide a computerized assistant to users to complete redundant detailed tasks without a need to train the user in computer technology.

Contemporary usage

As of 2026, the Mike Hudson Foundation, a UK nonprofit, uses Knowbot as the name of an LLM-based website search and question-answering service for research-oriented nonprofit organisations. The Royal Statistical Society's Real World Data Science described Knowbot as an LLM-powered tool designed to make complex websites more accessible. Organisations including the British Academy, RUSI and ZSL's SPOTT project have described deployments of Knowbot for answering visitor questions using their own website content. ZSL's SPOTT project describes the foundation as providing free use of AI tools and pro bono advice to research-oriented nonprofits.[3][4][5][6]

See also

  • Knowbot Information Service
  • Web crawler, a program that visits Web sites and gathers information according to some generalized criteria (as opposed to user-specified criteria) and subsequently indexes it[7]

References

  1. ^ "THE DIGITAL LIBRARY PROJECT VOLUME 1: The World of Knowbots (DRAFT) - An open architecture for a digital library system and a plan for its development" (PDF).
  2. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-09-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ Flynn, Annie (27 November 2025). "AI for Social Good: Interview with the Founder of Mike Hudson Foundation". Real World Data Science. Royal Statistical Society. Archived from the original on 5 June 2026. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  4. ^ "Knowbot". The British Academy. Archived from the original on 5 June 2026. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  5. ^ "About Knowbot". Royal United Services Institute. Archived from the original on 5 June 2026. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  6. ^ "SPOTT & Mike Hudson Foundation Announce AI Collaboration". SPOTT. 18 April 2025. Archived from the original on 27 February 2026. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  7. ^ "What is knowbot? - Definition from WhatIs.com". Archived from the original on 2015-11-19. Retrieved 2015-11-04.


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