Semail

Semail is a term used to describe the concept of semantic email, an approach that aims to embed machine-readable metadata within email messages to support automatic interpretation, routing, and action by software agents. It is not a single standardized protocol but a family of ideas and prototype implementations discussed in information science and artificial intelligence contexts.

The name combines semantic, referring to meaning and structured data, with email, the communication medium. In practice, Semail denotes efforts to augment plain text with structured annotations that describe intent, entities, dates, tasks, or relationships, enabling clients and servers to understand the message content beyond human reading.

Key characteristics include the use of structured metadata alongside human-readable text. This metadata can be represented in formats such as RDFa, JSON-LD, or schema.org annotations and may specify fields like meeting times, attendees, project references, or action items. The metadata is designed to be machine-readable while preserving the readability of the email for recipients.

Implementation has appeared primarily in research prototypes and experimental mail clients, rather than as a standardized industry protocol. Variants differ in where and how metadata is embedded (in headers, MIME parts, or message bodies) and in the governance of vocabularies. Adoption barriers include privacy concerns, interoperability challenges, and concerns about adding complexity to email workflows.

See also: Email, Semantic web, RDF, JSON-LD, natural language processing.