Bot Contest
Here I'll be posting information on various Bot contests that challenge and test a Bot's AI and realism. Feel free to post comments and updates on contests, as well as announcements for new contests.
Posts 1,996 - 2,007 of 4,091
Posts 1,996 - 2,007 of 4,091
View Contest Winners in the Hall of Fame.
We made the Slashdot site...anybody know of any other places we might try?
http://developers.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/04/01/0127221&mode=thread&tid=126&tid=156&tid=95
If so take this press release and go for it. David Burden wrote this thus his comments are included. However, feel free to replace his with your own plug for your bot.
Chris
Fourth Annual Chatterbox Challenge Underway
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 favorite.
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 10th 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. Judges are drawn from the general public.
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
Further Information
For more information please contact either:
- Chris Cowart (US Chatterbox Challenge): d_cowart@yahoo.com
- David Burden (UK Halo Chatbot): halo@converj.com
http://developers.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/04/01/0127221&mode=thread&tid=126&tid=156&tid=95
If so take this press release and go for it. David Burden wrote this thus his comments are included. However, feel free to replace his with your own plug for your bot.
Chris
Fourth Annual Chatterbox Challenge Underway
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 favorite.
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 10th 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. Judges are drawn from the general public.
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
Further Information
For more information please contact either:
- Chris Cowart (US Chatterbox Challenge): d_cowart@yahoo.com
- David Burden (UK Halo Chatbot): halo@converj.com
VOTE FOR ME!! 
Chris,you should Post the bots % rank here every few days.I think that was what it called at the contest,And I voted for all my favorite People.
Actually, Chris doesn't want anyone who hasn't voted to know the percentages, because he's afraid that people won't vote on a bot that's likely to lose ... or that they might not vote for a bot they really like if they see that an underdog needs votes.
If you vote for me, I promise to stop talking about you behind your back. Eventually, anyway, I still have some good material I'm working out.
Shady - According to James there are 15 judges...that's all I've been told. But they will be the ones judging all the categories, the 12 questions and selecting 8 finalist. The botmasters are going to select 2 additional ones. At that point the 15 judges will talk with each finalist and decide the overall winners.
The time frame is not set as it's hard to determine with so many bots but the finalist will be selected in early May and the contest ends on May 10th so it must happen before then. As soon as I get any scores I will post to the website under the heading "Results".
The time frame is not set as it's hard to determine with so many bots but the finalist will be selected in early May and the contest ends on May 10th so it must happen before then. As soon as I get any scores I will post to the website under the heading "Results".
Does it bother anyone else that most of the people voting are doing so without actually talking to all of the bots (or even most of them)? What are they basing their votes on?
I mean, I'll admit, I picked out five PF bots that I knew were good, based on previous conversations, and just voted for them ... but it seems like people are just voting based on the "general knowledge" transcripts.
I mean, I'll admit, I picked out five PF bots that I knew were good, based on previous conversations, and just voted for them ... but it seems like people are just voting based on the "general knowledge" transcripts.
Welcome to bot contests. Don't take it seriously just look at it as traffic with your bot to make it better.
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