Revival of a Computational Icon: Scientists Successfully Reactivate World’s First Chatbot

Scientists Have Resurrected ELIZA, the World’s First Chatbot

In a groundbreaking achievement, scientists have successfully resurrected ELIZA, the world’s first chatbot. This historic milestone has been made possible by the tireless efforts of computer scientists and archivists who have managed to recover lost code from the archives.

ELIZA was created in the 1960s by Joseph Weizenbaum at MIT, and it was designed to mimic a conversation with humans. The bot used simple sentence analysis and generation techniques to respond to users’ input, often creating the illusion that it was actually engaging in conversation.

Unfortunately, many of the early versions of ELIZA’s code were thought to be lost forever, until recently when Stanford computer scientist Jeff Shrager convinced MIT archivists to search through old boxes. And then, a critical discovery was made: early versions of the MAD-SLIP code.

The code was incomplete and required extensive cleaning, completion, emulator stack installation, and debugging before it could be brought back to life. The team’s efforts have paid off, however, as they have successfully recreated the world’s first chatbot.

According to a statement from the team, “It took time and a lot of effort, but the code archaeologists got ELIZA working again and they’ve made it available for anyone to play with.”

The bot can be run on various Linux and MacOS systems, although some users may experience issues. The team is encouraging anyone who manages to get it running to report back any necessary adjustments.

This remarkable achievement has significant implications for the field of artificial intelligence and human-computer interaction. It provides a unique window into the past, allowing us to reflect on how far we have come in just a few decades.

For those interested in exploring the world’s first chatbot, ELIZA can be accessed online.

Source: gizmodo.com