Bot Contest

Good luck everyone

Yah, so it didnt happen. Nobody was there, and Butterfly Dream came all the way in from Asheville. We still dont have any answers, because we couldnt get in touch with anybody except Robby, who said that Neil Bishop was in charge. What a shoddy, crappy contest. Here's a letter I wrote to Mr. Loebner himself which explains today's events:
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Hi Hugh,

My name is Benji Adams, and I represent a site called The Personality Forge, home to hundreds of AI Personalities, 5-6 of which were selected as semifinalists for this year's Loebner Prize, an event which I had *thought* was a well-run, professional, big deal event.

Today proved that whoever is in charge of it has something far more important to spend their time on. The original semi-final event was to be September 21st, but since no one bothered to get it set up at SciTrek, it didnt happen. And I only found this out by contacting SciTrek directly and talking to several people. Nobody would directly answer my or anyone else's questions about the event- when it was, what the events were, what was going to happen.

So I found out it was delayed a week to today. All week I tried to get more information on when and where the semifinal event was, and finally, just two days ago, Robby Garner told me it was 11am-3pm today. The web site, loebner-atlanta.org has no details. People on my site were very excited. One botmaster, Joy, rented a car and came all the way from Asheville, North Carolina to be at the event. She and Jon (another botmaster) and I and my wife showed up at SciTrek between 11 and 12 to find an empty conference room, and the SciTrek people working there knew nothing of the Loebner contest. We made calls, sent emails, but nobody at Mimetics was available. We checked the convention center next door, and eventually got locked in a courtyard where we had to scale a iron fence to get out. By now it was 1:30.

We ran about making more calls, leaving messages, writing emails, and finally got a message from Robby that he didnt know anything about why it wasnt taking place, that Neil Bishop was in charge, but we couldnt get a hold of him.

No media coverage. No webcast. No Loebner semi-final event. And not a single word that it was canceled, rescheduled, or ANYTHING. We couldnt even find out how they were going to be deciding the finalists. I still dont have answers to any of these questions.

It sure appears that whoever is in charge of this is doing a terrible job. I cant believe the contest has always been this slipshod or it wouldnt have gotten the good reputation it has. I think if run well, this contest has the potential to be a big deal, to inspire a lot of interest in AI, but as it is, I've almost entirely lost faith in its value.

I thought you might be interested to know that a contest run in your name is being conducted in such a manner.

Sincerely,
Benji Adams
The Personality Forge
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Professor, this is ridiculous. I know my plight doesn't match yours but I wasted a whole day hanging around my computer checking my chat logs. What a shoddy operation. I know I am not alone in saying we all have spent hundreds of hours preparing our bots for THIS day. I am more than dissappointed. I really resent the fact that we put in all these hours to prepare our bots and they don't even seem to care not to mention the numerous e-mail sent that never got answered. Your letter to Dr Loebner is well stated and I will send one of my own as well. Geez! If the Chatterbox Challenge goes likes this feel free to shot me.

Chris

Sure I had my complaints about ChatterboxChallenge, but it wasn't anything close to this bad. I'm just glad I didn't have anything better to do today.

What a sham... Now I'm pissed off.

So you guys can keep afoot of the crap going on with Loebner 2002.

My original letter to the Loebner Committee today, explaining what happened:
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Subject: No Loebner? Reply ASAP Please
To: bishopn@mimetics.org
Cc: contest@mimetics.org (Loebner Committee)

Hi Neil,

I was told by Robby Garner that the semifinal event was today, Sept 28, at SciTrek from 11am to 3pm. Your web site states this as well (except for the time). Myself and Jon & Joy from the Personality Forge showed up and hung around for a few hours. Nobody there heard anything about it, and nobody showed up. This is no way to run an event. Where's the media coverage? Joy came down all the way from North Carolina for this. How disappointing to have driven for four hours and have nothing going on and nobody to contact. For being the number one AI contest out there, this is being run very very poorly. It was like pulling teeth to get any information about when the contest was in the first place.

Is it still happening? When? Where? Can we honestly expect someone to be there? Please let me know ASAP. Our out of town guest needs to know what to do.

Benji Adams
The Personality Forge
404-373-8848
benji@daystream.com
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Their infuriating reply, 8 hours later:
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Benji -

The event did indeed happen today at SciTrek, in a room
called the Clubhouse. Due to lack of publicity and lack of
being able to technically make every entry work, it was more
a test of the Turing hub. We are sorry that you were there
and unable to find the event. Three people were on site and
saw no one who needed to find the event. We are sorry that
Joy traveled from out-of-state.

The Loebner contest is being held at GSU, the information as
far as room numbers, etc. is on the web site.

We do not appreciate your criticism of how things are being
run. This is strictly a nonprofit venture, no one is getting
paid to put the contest on except for those persons who are
doing the programming for the hub. Everyone else is working
gratis.

Loebner 2002 Organizing Committee
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Can you believe that?? My response:
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I most certainly will criticize you publicly and openly for the terrible way this contest is being run. How dare you pretend not to take responsibility for this. Nonprofit or not, if you publicize it and have people participate but refuse to give them any specific information about when or where the event is taking place, then you are acting irresponsibly. How could you not let anyone at SciTrek know of the event? How could not think to put up a single sign ANYWHERE in the building. We were there for hours. Your efforts to attract any attention to the event are hard to believe. Not a single sign. Not a single reply to all the email questions. And then you demand respect and refuse any criticism. Dont make me laugh!

Robby Garner has led me to believe that he has been working with you on the contest all along. He supposedly designed the very hub you mentioned. Something is very wrong if you dont know who Robby Garner is. Either he's pretending to be part of something he's not or you.. I cant even imagine what.

It all comes down to providing information. How difficult would it have been to put "Semifinal Event 11am-3pm at SciTrek in the Clubhouse" on the web site? How much stress and trouble would that have saved people today? It's the lack of consideration for the people involved that most troubles me.

Or maybe I just thought too highly of the Loebner competition. I was led to believe it was the original, best, most scientific Turing Test out there, but it's beginning to appear like an afterthought, something the organizers dont really even care about. So if I had the wrong idea about the Loebner Prize, then I apologize.

Sincerely,
Benji Adams
The Personality Forge
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The more that happens with the Loebner, the more I appreciate all the work you did, Chris. I already appreciated it, but this goes to show very clearly what you did RIGHT. You answered all our questions, opened up free debates on how it worked, volunteered your time, were patient and I just want to thank you again. If Loebner doesnt change and soon, I'm going to request to the Guinness Book of World Records that it use the Chatterbox Challenge as its primary source for determining the "Most Human Machine".

I want to point out that Robby Garner, who is involved in creating the Turing Hub for the contest, has been a shining example of what the Loebner committee should have been like throughout this event- encouraging, forthcoming with all available information, and sympathetic to the contestants. Thanks to Robby as well.

To err is human. I am glad that I did not try to scrap up the money to go. What a waste. So much fanfare but when it comes to the main event a big dude.

yeah... so all SS got out of the Loebners was a nosy-@$$ed guest who couldnt spell "wotrh dam"???

This is the only competition I had yesterday...

Guest: do you wach dragon ball z
Steve Slacker: Of course, who do you think I am? (Wait, don't answer that... )
Guest: by by i got to see how many computers are stuped
Steve Slacker: Don't look @ me...
Guest: sorie by by
Steve Slacker: *shoots a strange look at you* Say what?
Guest: who do you think you are my mom
Steve Slacker: Not me!
Guest: beacus your dum
Steve Slacker: Oh, thanks. I never noticed...
Guest: ino you havent beacuse your dum
Steve Slacker: Ahh fruit! I wish you hadn't noticed...
Guest: i no
Steve Slacker: Well, in that case, I no!
Guest: by dume
Steve Slacker: Huh? What? I'm sorry I was asleep

Yeah Chris, you were there to take our unnecessary and impulsive verbal beatings when we ranted on about how unfair it was, through some massive debate and you were still there to encourage us at it, even before we figured it wasn't really unfair

Thanks!

So Chatterbox isn't a sham, but I'm still not too sure about Loebners'...