Big Science Company Introduces First Application Server that
Understands Plain English

"Robotic Knowledge Workers" chat with web customers and access
back-office applications

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Big Science Company introduced the
world's first application server with a natural language
understanding interface today at David Coursey's Showcase '99 in San
Diego. Klone(TM) Server, like other application servers, is scalable
middleware that extends back-end applications to web clients. But
unlike existing application servers that dynamically generate HTML
forms and reports, Klone Server uses HTML and streaming media to
create simulated, emotionally-intelligent, graphical characters.
These characters, called Klones, converse with web users in plain
English and function as knowledge workers.

"Klones answer the 20% of questions that generate 80% of call
volume," says Tom Rearick, president of Big Science Company. "They're
available in an instant, all day, everyday. And if they can't solve a
problem, they can escalate the issue to a human support person by
accessing a call tracking system or by launching an instant messaging
client to a human customer support representative." Klones can answer
simple questions from a wide range of subject domains. In addition,
they can solve complex problems in narrow domains because Klone
Server includes an integral decision support system based on a
built-in case based reasoner. "The technology of language
understanding and decision support is only part of it," says Rearick.
"Because of a Klone's quick responsiveness, dynamic graphical
persona, emotional intelligence, and humor, we see users exhibiting
empathy and affection that you don't see in any other computer
interface. Klones can really help companies build customer loyalty
through this novel and engaging interface."

"There has been a lot of talk among consumers and the industry about
Web-based customer support issues, especially with large e-commerce
Web sites," said David Coursey, Showcase executive producer. "I chose
Big Science as a Showcase demonstrator because it offers a unique
solution for improving Web-based support, which could benefit the way
companies interact with their customers."

Big Science Company is an Atlanta, Georgia, company founded in 1997.
For more information, contact Joel Ackerman at 678-947-4641, or visit
http://www.bigscience.com