Episode Details

On this episode of the Crazy Wisdom Podcast, host Stewart Alsop welcomes Jessica Talisman, a senior information architect deeply immersed in the worlds of taxonomy, ontology, and knowledge management. The conversation spans the evolution of libraries, the shifting nature of public and private access to knowledge, and the role of institutions like the Internet Archive in preserving digital history. They also explore the fragility of information in the digital age, the ongoing battle over access to knowledge, and how AI is shaping—and being shaped by—structured data and knowledge graphs. To connect with Jessica Talisman, you can reach her via LinkedIn. 

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Timestamps

00:05 – Libraries, Democracy, Public vs. Private Knowledge
Jessica explains how libraries have historically shifted between public and private control, shaping access to knowledge and democracy.

00:10 – Internet Archive, Cyberattacks, Digital Preservation
Stewart describes visiting the Internet Archive post-cyberattack, sparking a discussion on threats to digital preservation and free information.

00:15 – AI, Structured Data, Ontologies, NIH, PubMed
Jessica breaks down how AI trains on structured data from sources like NIH and PubMed but often lacks alignment with authoritative knowledge.

00:20 – Linked Data, Knowledge Graphs, Semantic Web, Tim Berners-Lee
They explore how linked data enables machines to understand connections between knowledge, referencing the vision behind the semantic web.

00:25 – Entity Management, Cataloging, Provenance, Authority
Jessica explains how libraries are transitioning from cataloging books to managing entities, ensuring provenance and verifiable knowledge.

00:30 – Digital Dark Ages, Knowledge Loss, Corporate Control
Stewart compares today’s deletion of digital content to historical knowledge loss, warning about the fragility of digital memory.

00:35 – War on Truth, Book Bans, Algorithmic Bias, Censorship
They discuss how knowledge suppression—from book bans to algorithmic censorship—threatens free access to information.

00:40 – AI, Search Engines, Metadata, Schema.org, RDF
Jessica highlights how AI and search engines depend on structured metadata but often fail to prioritize authoritative sources.

00:45 – Power Over Knowledge, Open vs. Closed Systems, AI Ethics
They debate the battle between corporations, governments, and open-source efforts to control how knowledge is structured and accessed.

00:50 – Librarians, AI Misinformation, Knowledge Organization
Jessica emphasizes that librarians and structured knowledge systems are essential in combating misinformation in AI.

00:55 – Future of Digital Memory, AI, Ethics, Information Access
They reflect on whether AI and linked data will expand knowledge access or accelerate digital decay and misinformation.

Key Insights

1. The Evolution of Libraries Reflects Power Struggles Over Knowledge: Libraries have historically oscillated between being public and private institutions, reflecting broader societal shifts in who controls access to knowledge. Jessica Talisman highlights how figures like Andrew Carnegie helped establish the modern public library system, reinforcing libraries as democratic spaces where information is accessible to all. However, she also notes that as knowledge becomes digitized, new battles emerge over who owns and controls digital information​​.