July 12, 1999
Cover

A clever eye to the future

BY WARREN CARAGATA

So what's down the road as electronic commerce takes hold? Experts offer these glimpses:

Clever Cars: Onboard computers with wireless Internet connections will be able to book a service appointment at a dealership and place an order for a part -- without human assistance. In the event of a breakdown, the computer will be able to notify a tow truck.

Clever ABMs: Customers could be greeted with messages on a screen asking if they want to take out the same amount they withdrew the day before, or warned that an account is near its overdraft limit.

Co-operative agents: The NCR Knowledge Lab in England is developing agents -- small computer programs that may be sent off to work on the Internet. An agent could search the Net for the best price on a Ford minivan. NCR's agent is also smart enough that if it finds similar programs looking for the same minivan, it could team up with them to arrange a bulk purchase deal. Some primitive software is already at work. Sites like Amazon.com use agents to recommend books to buyers based on previous purchases.