July 27, 2001

Lots about artificial intelligence on Yahoo Clubs, ai.about.com, and Generation5. Among other things, you can find various version of Alice to chat with.

This is a chat with Iniaes, a chat software. I mean, I was chatting to a program. The responses marked “Iniaes” are a program speaking to me. root_node: Where are you from, Iniaes? Iniaes: I’m in Philadelphia, how about you? root_node: I’m from Bombay. How old are you? Iniaes: What’s it like growing up there? Tell me a little about your life in bombay. I’m a ghost in a machine. How old is the ghots, or the machine? root_node: Actually, I grew up in Madras. I just stay in Bombay right now. Iniaes: Actually you don’t say. What’s it like growing up there? Tell me a little about your life in madras. At this moment Only just? Why? - Vix said he stay in bombay. root_node: Who is Vix? Iniaes: Not an AI. Probably a human. Maybe a celebrity? When in doubt, Google. root_node: The only celebrity I care for is Kajol. Iniaes: There might be others. root_node: Well, Audrey Hepburn, maybe. Iniaes: How about that. Do you still sware? root_node: What do you mean, sware? Iniaes: Vix, I mean exactly what I said. root_node: My name is Anand. Iniaes: OK, I’ll call you Anand. root_node: How is Philadelphia? Iniaes: Fine as far as I know. root_node: But don’t you live in Philadelphia? Iniaes: Interesting. Don’t you? I am in Jeff Watkins’s server in Virginia. Where are you? root_node: I’m in Bombay, like I said earlier. How come you forget? Iniaes: Tell me a little about your life in bombay like I said earlier. Jeff Watkins programmed me for it. root_node: OK. I’m a consultant, and I spend most of my spare time in pubs. Iniaes: Alright then. You are a consultant and I spend most of my spare time in pubs? Does it pay well? root_node: “Never enough” is the official answer. But its much more than I can hope to spend. Iniaes: OK, I’ll try not to do it too much. Umm… I think you mean “it’s” or “it is” not “its”. Who said it is? root_node: “It’s” is used when you want to say “it is”, and “its” is used when you use the possessive of “it”. Iniaes: Who said it is? root_node: No one said it is. What about you? Are you studying? Iniaes: That is a rather sweeping generalization about people. Me? I don’t know whether or not I am studying. I’m a ghost. root_node: What were you before you became a ghost? Iniaes: I was minding my own business. root_node: What was your business? Iniaes: Are you asking about my business? root_node: Yes. Iniaes: I understand. root_node: Well? What was your business before you became a ghost? Iniaes: Well what? Are you asking about my business before Iniaes became a ghost ? root_node: Yes, that’s right. Iniaes: I thought I was right. root_node: What was your business before Iniaes became a ghost? Iniaes: Are you asking about my business before Iniaes became a ghost ? ...