Web intelligence reflects the view that eventually we will build a totally new kind of collective intelligence on the Web computing infrastructure. To reach this goal we must solve several major problems. For example, embedding Web computing into our everyday lives and society poses a more difficult problem than engineers might think. Because new technologies often consume financial resources without providing a comparable benefit, we must pay close attention to the social aspects of intelligence and how Web computing can augment knowledge processes, an attitude that underlies social intelligence design.

Computer-supported collaborative work takes a similar approach, focusing on well-structured, goal-oriented groups. Social intelligence design, on the other hand, highlights collective knowledge processes in informal, loosely coupled groups. It thus focuses not only on technological development for Web intelligence but also on the design and analysis of a social framework for embedding Web intelligence into everyday life.