Standards in artificial intelligence as seen from a technology user's point of view

Experience has brought to light certain differences between what the research community produces and what technology users need. These differences may be caused by a divergence in the standards held by users and practitioners. The divergence exists in four major areas: education, means of implementation, communication with appropriate parties, and need satisfaction. The focus of practitioners is on technology itself, while the focus of users is on the goals to which technology is applied. These goals cannot be grasped by people who have had a device-oriented instead of a comprehension-oriented education. Standards in the means of implementation is another source of divergence. Frequently, what is seen as a good language/hardware suite from the practitioner's point of view is not so good from a user's point of view. Communication with appropriate parties is a related diverging standard. If the customer cannot use a product and understand it then it has no value. Whatever standards are selected, they must be focused on customer needs.<>