From Wikipedia: A chatterbot (or chatbot) is a type of conversational agent, a computer program designed to simulate an intelligent conversation with one or more human users via auditory or textual methods. Such computer programmes can also referred to as Artificial Conversational Entities within some specific contexts. Although many chatterbots appear to intelligently interpret human input prior to providing a response, many simply scan for keywords within the input and pull a reply with the most matching keywords or the most similar wording pattern from a local database. Chatterbots may also be referred to as talk bots, chat bots, or chatterboxes.

Usually a good contextual understanding of a conversation is required to carry out a meaningful dialog, however, many chatterbots do not attempt this level of achievement. Instead they “converse” by recognizing cue words or phrases from the human user, which allows them to use pre-prepared or pre-calculated responses which can move the conversation on in an apparently meaningful way without necessarily requiring the chatterbot to actually understand or comprehend what is being said. Users, especially those unfamiliar with chatterbots, can often find the resulting conversations engaging. Critics of chatterbots call this engagement the ELIZA effect.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatterbot

The Loebner Prize is an annual competition in artificial intelligence that awards prizes to the chatterbot considered by the judges to be the most human-like. The format of the competition is that of a standard Turing test. A human judge poses text questions to a computer program and a human being via computer. Based upon the answers, the judge must decide which is which. In 2008 a variety of judges, including experts and non-experts, adults and children, native and non-native English speakers participated in the University of Reading hosted contest.

Winners:

2008: Elbot by Fred Roberts
2007: Ultra Hal by Robert Medeksza
2006: Joan by Rollo Carpenter

In case you have installed emacs on your computer you can give it a try. Just type M-x doctor and you’re ready to roll:

If a chatterbot were answering some of the Fluther questions would the moderators detect it?

Maybe your plans have something to do with this.

Well, my plan was to find out what Flutherites think about chatterbots.

I don’t understand.

Would the moderators find out that Eliza is not a real person?

Eliza? Hah! I would appreciate it if you would continue.

I don’t really like talking to chatterbots.

Is it because of your life that you are going through all this?

(...)

Topics: artificial intelligence, ELIZA, Turing test, intelligent conversations, chatterbots, Loebner prize