Let's start very light and fluffy. This task is easy and should just get you thinking about how to simulate complex human behavior -- and how far we have to go! Make sure you have read required reading #1 from week #1. While in lab, spend some time trying out a few of the winners of the Loebner Prize, linked here (see the list below to help guide you to these). After trying a few, which one seems to work best? Did the chat bot / artificial system seem to use any tricks to make you think there was intelligence behind its behavior? Do you think any of them have hope in accomplishing Turing's Test? Write a short 100-word response answering these questions briefly, and identify your favorite chat bot.
You will be checked as 'complete' on this lab when your TA has determined that you have connected your experiences with the bots to the discussion in class and/or in the reading. Your TA may give you some quick feedback before determining the exercise complete; just follow up on that feedback and make sure to submit before your section next week.
Try these bots. Note that some are a bit indelicate in their social stereotypes and assumptions, but you'll quickly see how these work...
- JabberWacky
- Hal
- Chat with Alice
- Mitsuku
- Justin Bieber