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Semantic standardization in the form of schema design/modeling isn't that hard, especially in key technical, medical and scientific fields with generally rich standardized and extensible ontologies; promoting the acceptance and integration of such standards may prove much more challenging. The idea that we're wallowing in a primordial soup of bits and that AI techniques hold the key to progress isn't quite right, though knowledge engineering/expert systems were a pragmatic approach to situated AI knowledge representation, and semantic web/document engineering/web services methodologies represent a similar, but standardized, data centric platform for the same kind of modeling, plus, crucially, networking.
What's needed is a deeper model or metaphor according to which semantic integration can proceed, not just more technical voodoo. One idea is that such generic emerging problems as identity/location management, medical/genetic privacy, vendor selection and quality control, JIT education would benefit from a central web service functioning as the back office for some sort of consumers' union or buyers' club enforcing the interests of its' members. (My dull stab at this is the not yet half-baked Utilitus Information Utility www.utilitus.org - *real* work along these lines may well be afoot - if anyone knows of any, please post!).
The idea that we are in the stone age of computing, while obvious in terms of applied materials science and the statistical truths a fully wired world will reveal, shouldn't divert anyones' attention or efforts from the ethical and political potentials of the moment. Let's give this principle the posh name 'teleocom'.
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