Artificial intelligence applied to the semantic web 

The semantic web or "internet of knowledge" is an extension of the current web. Unlike the latter, the semantic web is based on providing the web with defined and linked data, to which a specific meaning is attributed, thus allowing different applications to locate, integrate and take advantage of the information available on the web quickly and efficiently. In this sense, more and more semantic search engines are being integrated, mainly in social networks, blogs and customer services (chatbots).

For now, most web search engines, although they have improved in recent years, continue to catalog only a small portion of the web and often provide inaccurate or irrelevant results. In addition, the information contained in these documents (web pages, videos, images, etc.) is completely opaque to computer systems and therefore almost impossible to exploit in any automated way.

Current search engines show the user a list of web pages that include the keywords entered by the user. However, they do not provide the system with relevant information about the meaning and/or the context in which they have been used. They describe, therefore, the way information is displayed, but not its meaning. The semantic web aims to overcome this limitation by performing intelligent searches that take into account the meaning and/or the context in which these searches are performed.

The purpose of the semantic web is not to offer a succession of links based on a series of keywords, but rather that, based on common language expressions, the result of the search is a precise answer to the formulated search. So the main objective of the semantic web is to assign a precise answer to a specific question.The search, the question, has finally been "understood" by the machine.

Through the use of artificial intelligence applied to the semantic web, the information obtained from search engines is made based on its meaning, allowing computers to interact with each other in an 'intelligent' way, as well as with users.

The semantic web is the definitive leap to web 3.0, which is based on adding semantic and ontological metadata to the information published on the web. The provision of this additional information, therefore, describes the content, meaning and relationship between the published data, so that the content is "actionable" and "understandable" by and for machines so that they can communicate efficiently with users.

The official definition of "semantic web" offered by the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium), which is responsible for setting standards and technologies so that data collected on the web can be localized, automated and reused between different applications, is as follows:

"The semantic web is an extended web, endowed with greater meaning in which any user on the Internet will be able to find answers to their questions more quickly and easily thanks to better defined information.

By making the web more meaningful and therefore more semantic, solutions to common information search problems can be obtained by using a common infrastructure, through which information can be easily shared, processed and transferred.

This extended, meaning-based web relies on universal languages to solve the problems caused by a web lacking semantics, where access to information sometimes becomes a difficult and frustrating task".

The most popular of the search engines that have specialized in semantic search is Swoogledeveloped by the University of Maryland.

The semantic web for business

Semantics analyzes the meaning of words (what we write and how we write it), so "semantic intelligence" is basically a type of technology, based on artificial intelligence, capable of 'understanding' the meaning of words by their context or associating words with meanings.

Applied to e-commerce, this would imply being able to understand the user's needs and expectations when interacting with our brand. In fact, more and more companies are focusing their R&D on the development of algorithms that allow them to "read between the lines" of what users say or write when interacting with the web. through forums, social networks, comparison sites, etc.

That is: to recognize semantic structures with expressive load and that can reveal important data about the behavior (and feelings) of the users. 

► You may be interested in: 10 ways artificial intelligence helps businesses 

The semantic web represents an important opportunity to increase business competitiveness thanks to the impact of the information collected. Investing in artificial intelligence applied to the semantic web in e-commerce can increase revenues and reduce costs, better understand customers, generate new ones and provide them with a better user experience, among other benefits. 

Understanding natural language will enable a much better understanding of users' needs and expectations. With the help of AI algorithms, companies will be able to extract qualitative value from interactions with both customers and employees.

Semantic intelligence is capable of analyzing the "natural language" of users through the application of advanced algorithms that 'learn' by themselves. Thus, the greater the volume of information analyzed, the more accurate the results will be. This is the technology used by virtual assistants to perform intelligent searches for information that are not limited to tracking keywords.

Semantic technology in personnel selection

An example of how semantic technology improves the processing of the information available on the network can be found in the recruitment and/or talent management processes of companies.

Through the use of AI, recruitment processes are significantly streamlined and greater efficiency and productivity is achieved by automating a large part of the processes involved in the selection process.The system allows for the automatic classification of resumes, by contextualizing and conceptualizing the information available within each resume, considerably reducing the time spent on filtering potential candidates from a database or from messages received by email. 

The semantic web for users

The semantic web will enable users to find, search and share information more easily. It is, therefore, an "intelligent" web that aims to improve the user's browsing experience. The incorporation of semantic metadata into content is significantly improving the positioning, referencing, use, distribution and reach of the web pages that use it.

The main purpose of the semantic web is to reduce the content overload of the various information sources in order to facilitate their processing. In this way, users' information demands can be met more quickly and accurately, without the need for human intervention.