The next big thing: chatbots, March 4th, 2006
George, created by British programmer Rollo Carpenter as part of his Jabberwacky AI software, is constantly learning new language patterns and facts as he chats online at jabberwacky.com/chat-george, where he'll respond not merely to words but also to any of 69 specified emotions, from 'sarcastic' to 'worried'.
Now Carpenter's firm, Icogno, is working with Norwich-based InterMediaLab to turn George into a 'virtual human', using animation and speech synthesis to have ever more credible spoken conversations. "It's going to be possible to do a live interview with someone like George on television," says Tim Child, who runs InterMediaLab. "He's not ready yet for live TV, but it's close."
Full article in The Times: http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,20409-2068307,00.html