Probabilistic Knowledge Base Updating for Uncertain Facts

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing knowledge bases are manually constructed and time-consuming to scale up, maintain, and ensure accuracy and completeness, posing challenges in data management and maintenance.

Innovation Solution

A probabilistic generative model is used for automated, unsupervised knowledge base construction and maintenance, utilizing a single coherent probabilistic model to generate and update knowledge bases from various data sources, incorporating uncertainty propagation and inference algorithms to handle missing or uncertain facts.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If knowledge bases are manually constructed, then accuracy and completeness can be maintained, but it is time-consuming and expensive to scale up construction and maintenance

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccuracy and completeness of knowledge baseVSAvoidscaling speed of knowledge base construction
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables automated knowledge base construction and maintenance through unsupervised learning algorithms that automatically extract entities, attributes, and relationships from unstructured text data. The probabilistic model self-updates the knowledge base by performing inference on observed text and updating probability distributions of variables, eliminating the need for manual construction while maintaining accuracy through uncertainty propagation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Adaptability or versatility

If multiple components are used for knowledge base construction, then various data sources can be integrated, but the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveintegration capability with various data sourcesVSAvoidnumber of components in construction system
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines entity extraction, attribute extraction, relationship extraction, and knowledge base updating into a single unified probabilistic model. This single coherent model handles multiple data sources and extraction tasks simultaneously, reducing system complexity while maintaining the ability to integrate diverse data sources through the probabilistic framework.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The probabilistic model serves multiple functions: it extracts entities, attributes, and relationships from text; performs inference on unobserved variables; updates the knowledge base; and handles uncertainty propagation. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate components for each task, simplifying the overall system architecture.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Productivity

If automated methods are used for knowledge base construction, then scaling efficiency improves, but handling uncertainty and missing facts becomes more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveefficiency of automated constructionVSAvoidhandling of uncertain or missing facts
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses probability distributions to represent uncertainty in knowledge base facts and variables. By changing from deterministic representations to probabilistic parameters, the system can automatically handle uncertain and missing facts through inference algorithms that update probability distributions based on observed text, maintaining reliability while achieving automated scaling.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The probabilistic model incorporates feedback mechanisms where inference results from observed text are used to update the probability distributions of variables in the knowledge base. This continuous feedback loop allows the system to automatically adjust to uncertain information and improve accuracy over time while maintaining high productivity through automated processing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP3738083B1Knowledge base construction
Publication Date: 2026.02.25 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC
  • EP3738083B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3738083B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3738083B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

In various examples there is a knowledge base construction and/or maintenance system for use with a probabilistic knowledge base. The system has a probabilistic generative model comprising a process for generating text or other formatted data from the knowledge base. The system has an inference component configured to generate inference results, by carrying out inference using inference algorithms, run on the probabilistic generative model, in either a forward direction whereby text or other formatted data is generated, or a reverse direction whereby text or other formatted data is observed and at least one unobserved variable of the probabilistic generative model is inferred. The inference component is configured to update the knowledge base using at least some of the inference results.