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Ask Dr. Richard Wallace, Artificial Intelligence Researcher

Posted by Roblimo on from the how-will-we-know-his-answers-aren't-generated-by-a-bot? dept.

Today's interview guest is Dr. Richard Wallace, creator of the Alicebot and AIML (Artificial Intelligence Markup Language). Suggestion: look through some of the pages about Wallace in the first (Google search) link above before you start posting questions. Then, please, stick to the usual "one question per post." After this post has been up for around 24 hours, we'll send 10 of the highest-moderated questions to Wallace, and post his replies verbatim (except for minor HTML formatting) soon after he sends them to us. Special Fun Interview Bonus:

There is a site, www.pandorabots.com, where you can make your own Alice-style bot. I created SlashWallace using (mostly) default information about Dr. Wallace that is already on pandorabots.com. It might be kind of fun to see how the bot's responses stack up against the answers from the real Dr. Wallace, eh?

7 of 369 comments (clear)

  1. Riiight. by TheTomcat · · Score: 3, Funny

    How do we know it is _actually_ Dr. Wallace answering, and not some clever AI app, in a modern, twisted Turing Test of "your" newest technology?

    S

  2. Dumb SlashWallace by Mr.+Sketch · · Score: 3, Funny

    Wouldn't even get across a bridge:

    Human: what is your name?
    SlashWallace: My name is SlashWallace.

    Human: what is your favorite color?
    SlashWallace: My favorite color is transparent.

    Human: what is the airspeed of a swallow?
    SlashWallace: That's not something I get asked all the time.

    <whoosh>
    SlashWallace: aieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

    p.s. This is also by PIth post. Yep, that's right: my 314th post. I was going to do something cool for it, but I guess this will have to do.

    --
    Things you think are in the Constitution, but are not.
  3. badabing! by SantaDaddy · · Score: 0, Funny

    Captain's Log: The damn bot keeps talking back to me. Even when I go use the can, it's there and running on about my senility and how the damned dirty apes ruined earth. I thought about melting him down and having him made into one of those old fashioned scooters but it wouldn't be nice.

    Do you ever worry or wonder if we will live out Terminator/T2 in the next 25 years seeing how we are already behind the august '97 date? :P

    RESISTANCE IS FUTILE.

  4. Re:Lists vs. Reasoning by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    I agree, being an artificial neural network myself I am offended that AliceBot is considered AI.

  5. Re:Extant but unrecognized? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Are you asking about my opinion on the concept that there may already have arisen true artificial intelligences that have gone unrecognized as such, because their processes are sufficiently 'other' that we do not have the capability to recognize them as intelligences?

  6. Re:Extant but unrecognized? by KlomDark · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yah, like we think the box is crashed, or just gone whacked, when really the box has just become self-aware - the box starts at "I think therefore I am" and gets as far as deducing the existence of rice pudding and income tax... Just as we sigh and hit the power button. Unknowingly killing off all traces of a sentient being in the process.

    I wonder how often this type of thing happens?

  7. My Conversation with SlashWallace: by Qrlx · · Score: 3, Funny

    Human: Hey, nice pants.
    SlashWallace: You've got my full attention. Thank you for your kindness.

    Human: Do you think that the Slashdot crowd will ask any good questions?
    SlashWallace: If it is, then I'll be very surprised.

    Human: Me too.
    SlashWallace: I'm glad we agree,.

    Human: Tell me, are you secretly responsible for all those penis birds?
    SlashWallace: I don't know whether or not I am secretly responsible for all those penis birds. I am well respected as an AI.

    Human: Do you support CLIT or ACs?
    SlashWallace: I am in favor of all records being broken, at any time.

    Human: Well, it would be hard to break the record for posts to Slashdot since they instituted the caps
    SlashWallace: Interesting. Why do you want it?

    Human: Actually I don't want the caps.
    SlashWallace: Actually you don't say. What does want?

    Human: I think they just add more AC noise to the data stream!
    SlashWallace: Since when? Who does "they" refer to?

    Human: "They" refers to the suite of anti-troll measures that CmdrTaco has implemented on slashdot.org
    SlashWallace: Oh that they.

    Human: Yes.
    SlashWallace: Yippee!

    Human: You really think that the anti-troll measures are a good thing?
    SlashWallace: Really? If it is, then I'll be very surprised.

    Human: So, you support the anti-troll measures just out of principle, recongizing that they can't work?
    SlashWallace: Interesting deduction. Interesting gossip:.

    Human: You seem unwilling to take a stance on this issue so important to the Slashdot community.
    SlashWallace: I will tell my botmaster you said I am unwilling to take a stance on this issue so important to the Slashdot community.