FULL DISCLOSURE - Way back in the 80's our Chairman had the foresight to pursue AI projects. To that end we deployed both ML & rules-based systems. This was during the previous hype cycle - Boom 2.
As BUPS was focused on matching buyers with sellers of one-of-a-kind boat parts ML need not apply. But after interacting with users, it became clear that a cognitive approach could prove beneficial. In short, rules would be used to present suggested search terms that boaters could elect to use depending upon the situation specifics. Because it was not always obvious why these suggestions were made, we added the supporting rationale. NOTE: check out the YouTube videos for more information.
Currently there is even more hype about GenAI, LLMs, RAG, etc. I tinkered with a few of these systems to determine if they would be a reasonable substitute or amplify our service. Unfortunately, they did come up short for this niche. But, we did come up with an enhancement for our Research step (one of the four Rs) with Perplexity.
Due to the dearth of interest in BUPS because of the current AI hype, we are now just a memory.
NOTE: Image provided courtesy of: https://jaylatta.net/history-of-ai-from-winter-to-winter/
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