vp: Is there any reason why I can't use the computer now?
teletype: Tell me more about your prospective customers.
vp: Please call me
Note that after that remark the VP did not obey instructions and left out the period. Therefore the
computer didn't answer him. This so infuriated the VP, who thought I was playing games with him,
that he called me up, woke me from a deep sleep, and said:
vp: Why are you being so snotty with me?
Bobrow: What do you mean why am I being snotty to you?
The VP angrily read the dialog that "we" had been having, and couldn't get any response but laughter
from me. It took me a while to convince him it really was the computer.
Notice that the Eliza/Doctor software usually responds with an open-ended question designed to get
the user to type in more sentences. It makes no attempt to answer questions, because it has no ability
to do so. Nonetheless the program fooled the computer-literate vice president. The reason it fools
people is not because it is intelligent, and thus passing the Turing test. Though novel at the time, Eliza
is a quite elementary program by today's standards. It fools people because people are too easy to fool,
and thus the test is inadequate. So the Turing test was a failure on its second outing.
Doctor, Meet Doctor
The Free Software Foundation, for reasons of whimsy, hack-value, and fun, built this psychiatrist
dialogue software into their popular GNU editor product. The GNU-EMACS editor is given away free,
and is available on most UNIX systems. Once you start up GNU-EMACS, issue the command
"escape-x doctor". I thought it would be entertaining to hook up two instances of the Doctor program
back-to-back, so that each was talking at the other. Here's the result of the experiment:
1: I am the psychotherapist. Please describe your problems.
2: What brings you to see me?
1: Can you elaborate on that?
2: I would appreciate it if you would continue.
1: What makes you believe you would appreciate it if I would continue?
2: Why do you say that?
[doctor 1 now starts to make grammatical errors...]
1: When did you first know that do I say that?
[doctor 2 also starts to make grammatical errors...]
2: What happened when did me first know that do you say that?
1: What would happen if did you first know that do I say that?
2: Is the fact that do you say that the real reason?
1: Is the fact that do I say that the real reason the real reason?
2: does the fact that do you say that the real reason the real reason explain anything else?
1: does the fact that do I say that the real reason the real reason explain anything else explain anything
else?
2: Are you sure do you say that the real reason the real reason explain anything else explain anything