Fourth Annual Chatterbox Challenge Underway

An online Chatterbot contest

(PRWEB) March 30, 2004 --Chatbots from around the world are taking part in the fourth annual Chatterbox Challenge. Chatbots are computer programs designed to imitate human conversation, with the eventual aim of creating true virtual personalities and artificial intelligences. The Chatterbox Challenge runs from April 1 to April 30 and Internet users can talk to the competing chatbots through the competition web site at www.chatterboxchallenge.com.

The Chatterbox Challenge is run by Chris Cowart and has attracted over a hundred entries this year. The chatbots range from downloadable PC programs, through simple text chat interfaces, to moving faces with synthesised speech. The competition is being sponsored by James Livingood, an Artificial Intelligence enthusiast from the USA. Last years competition was won by a chatbot called Elbot, programmed by Fred Roberts.

During the competition the chatbots are quizzed by judges to see how much they know, and how well they can conduct a normal human" conversation. Points are also awarded for personality and additional capabilities -- such as remembering visitors or being able to access web based services -- such as Google.

One award category is for the most popular chatbot. This is awarded on the basis of votes cast at the site. Everybody is invited to visit the site and talk to the bots, and vote for their favourite.

Organiser Chris Cowart says We are delighted with the number of entries that we have received this year. The Chatterbox Challenge is the ideal opportunity for chatbot developers to show off their chatbots, and compare themselves with the best chatbots in the world. The sheer variety of the chatbots entered is quite amazing. Some are based around knowing lots of things from the outset, whereas others are programmed to learn as they go along." Chris adds Chatbot names range from Aida to Zoe, and personalities vary from a fortune teller and a serial killer to a dragon and a horse!"

Birmingham UK based chatbot developer David Burden says As a developer the contest gives me a real opportunity to find out just how good, or bad, my chatbot is. My approach was to concentrate on the smalltalk that seems to make up much of any human conversation. I wanted to see if my chatbot, called Halo, could keep up a conversation whilst actually knowing very little. The competition is a chance for me to validate that approach."

Chatbot technology is likely to become more and more prevalent in the coming years. Web sites using chatbots as virtual sales assistants are already reporting a 30% increase in sales. The growth in use of large screen TVs at home, and the idea of the PC as the homes media center also opens up the real possibility of having a virtual assistant at home to provide a more friendly interface to the web and to digital systems in the home. The Chatterbox Challenge gives developers and members of the general public the chance to see just how fast this technology is progressing. The winner of the $1000 prize will be announced on May 10, 2004.

Notes for Editors:
1. Chatbots are just one element in the development of artificial intelligence. The Internet has enabled AI research to move out from the university labs and on to the PCs of AI enthusiast across the globe. Through web sites and chat systems such as IRC, chatbots are able to talk to a large number of Internet users, which is vital given that one of the secrets to chatbot development is having a large number of conversations between the chatbot and humans to analyse. The ultimate goal for all chatbot pioneers is the Turing Prize -- named after the British World War 2 scientist Alan Turing. The core of the Prize is a test where a human tries to tell whether the character they are talking to over a computer link is a real person or a chatbot.

2. Chatterbox Challenge is run on a volunteer basis by Chris Cowart and a team of supporters.
15 people have been selected from the general public to judge the contestants.

Images:
Images of the chatbots and some of their creators are available at www.chatterboxchallenge.com

Links:
Chatterbox Challenge Web Site - www.chatterboxchallenge.com
Halo Chatbot -- www.converj.com/chatbot/chatframe.htm

For more information please contact either:
- Chris Cowart (US -- Chatterbox Challenge): +1 912 764 5130 or email wcowart@frontiernet.net
- David Burden (UK -- Halo Chatbot): +44 (0)701 0711 927 or halo@converj.com