Automated fact checking using iterative knowledge base querying

A computer program product, the computer program product comprising one or more computer readable storage media, and program instructions collectively stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, the program instructions executable by one or more processors to cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

• decomposing a natural language assertion into a natural language question and answer pair, the natural language question and answer pair comprising an initial question and an initial answer;
• translating the initial question into a structured knowledge graph query;
• performing an iterative process comprising iterative querying of a knowledge graph and evaluating of corresponding query responses resulting in respective confidence scores, wherein a first iteration of the iterative process comprises:
• querying of the knowledge graph by executing, as a first predicted query, the structured knowledge graph query to retrieve a first predicted answer as a query response from the knowledge graph;
• determining whether a first confidence score of the respective confidence scores meets a threshold criterion, wherein the first confidence score is indicative of a degree of similarity between the initial answer and the first predicted answer;
• and
• altering, responsive to the first confidence score failing to meet the threshold criterion, the first predicted query based on a difference between the initial answer and the first predicted answer, wherein the altering results in an altered predicted query;
• wherein subsequent iterations of the iterative process comprise querying of the knowledge graph using respective altered predicted queries;
• and
• generating an assertion correctness score using the respective confidence scores, wherein the assertion correctness score is indicative of a degree of confidence that the assertion is factual.

A computer system comprising one or more processors and one or more computer readable storage media, and program instructions collectively stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, the program instructions executable by the one or more processors to cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

• decomposing a natural language assertion into a natural language question and answer pair, the natural language question and answer pair comprising an initial question and an initial answer;
• translating the initial question into a structured knowledge graph query;
• performing an iterative process comprising iterative querying of a knowledge graph and evaluating of corresponding query responses resulting in respective confidence scores,
• wherein a first iteration of the iterative process comprises:
• querying of the knowledge graph by executing, as a first predicted query, the structured knowledge graph query to retrieve a first predicted answer as a query response from the knowledge graph;
• determining whether a first confidence score of the respective confidence scores meets a threshold criterion, wherein the first confidence score is indicative of a degree of similarity between the initial answer and the first predicted answer;
• and
• altering, responsive to the first confidence score failing to meet the threshold criterion, the first predicted query based on a difference between the initial answer and the first predicted answer, wherein the altering results in an altered predicted query;
• wherein subsequent iterations of the iterative process comprise querying of the knowledge graph using respective altered predicted queries;
• and
• generating an assertion correctness score using the respective confidence scores, wherein the assertion correctness score is indicative of a degree of confidence that the assertion is factual.