Applied artificial intelligence technology for performing natural language generation (NLG) using composable communication goals and ontologies to generate narrative stories

An artificial intelligence apparatus for generating a narrative story about structured source data in response to user input without requiring a user to directly author program code that is executed to generate the narrative story, the structured source data comprising a plurality of data values associated with a plurality of data parameters, the apparatus comprising:

• a memory configured to store an ontology;
• a processor for cooperation with the memory, the processor configured to:
• compose a communication goal statement in response to user input, wherein the composition of the communication goal statement includes a parameterization of the communication goal statement so that the composed communication goal statement comprises at least one specified parameter, the specified parameter being within the ontology, wherein the parameterized communication goal statement has an association with a set of narrative analytics to be applied to the structured source data, wherein the associated narrative analytics set defines how the structured source data is to be analyzed to derive and determine informational content from the structured source data for inclusion in the narrative story, and wherein the parameterized communication goal statement corresponds to a communication goal to be achieved by the narrative story;
• process the parameterized communication goal statement in coordination with the ontology to select and parameterize program code for the set of narrative analytics associated with the parameterized communication goal statement without requiring a user to directly author the program code;
• and
• execute the selected and parameterized narrative analytics program code using the structured source data to determine the informational content for inclusion in the narrative story, wherein the narrative story satisfies the communication goal corresponding to the parameterized communication goal statement.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program product for applying artificial intelligence to generate a narrative story about structured source data in response to user input without requiring a user to directly author program code that is executed to generate the narrative story, the structured source data comprising a plurality of data values associated with a plurality of data parameters, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising:

• a plurality of instructions resident on the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, wherein the instructions are executable by a processor to a cause the processor to:
• access an ontology in a memory;
• compose a communication goal statement in response to user input, wherein the composition of the communication goal statement includes a parameterization of the communication goal statement so that the composed communication goal statement comprises at least one specified parameter, the specified parameter being within the ontology, wherein the parameterized communication goal statement has an association with a set of narrative analytics to be applied to the structured source data, wherein the associated narrative analytics set defines how the structured source data is to be analyzed to derive and determine informational content from the structured source data for inclusion in the narrative story, and wherein the parameterized communication goal statement corresponds to a communication goal to be achieved by the narrative story;
• process the parameterized communication goal statement in coordination with the ontology to select and parameterize program code for the set of narrative analytics associated with the parameterized communication goal statement without requiring a user to directly author the program code;
• and
• execute the selected and parameterized narrative analytics program code using the structured source data to determine the informational content for inclusion in the narrative story, wherein the narrative story satisfies the communication goal corresponding to the parameterized communication goal statement.