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From: David Yeo <dyeo@tortoise>
Subject: Re: Can someone answer this AI question? 
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On 26 Apr 1996, Jonathan Alexander wrote:

> I am wondering if they have ever made an updated more advance version of 
> Eliza. Have they?


First, it should be noted that Eliza was largely intended to refute GOFAI.
That is to say: 
 
  The rhetoric of the technological intelligentsia may be attractive 
  because it appears to be an invitation to reason.  It is that, indeed.  
  But, as I have argued, it urges instrumental reasonings, not authentic 
  human rationality.
 
      (Weizenbaum, J., 1976, "Computer Power and Human reason", p. 253) 

It, therefore, hardly provided AI researchers much motivation to enhance
the stock phrases methodology at the heart of Weizenbaum's "model". 

Second, AI's attention was more focussed on the challenging problem of
natural language comprehension, a problem which still eludes the best
theorists in the field (for the most part). 

However it now appears that Eliza is being reincarnated through internet;
a new generation of "bots" (technohip for "robots") called "chatterbots" 
has begun to spawn in the net.  A provocative, but content deficient,
overview of "bots" is offered in the April 1996 issue of "Wired". 

Cheers,

- David Yeo (dyeo@oise.on.ca)
