Eliza, the Rogerian Therapist
This is a version of the classic "Eliza" program, a program
that communicates in natural language. It pretends to be a Rogerian
psychologist, who works by reformulating a patient's answers into new questions.
Type your side of the conversation into the text bar (press reset to
start again):
When the original ELIZA first
appeared in the 60's, some people actually mistook her for
human. The illusion of intelligence works best, however,
if you limit your conversation to talking about yourself
and your life.
Have a conversation with ELIZA and think about its abilities and
limitations. For example:
- Is Eliza intelligent? Why or why not?
- Does ELIZA have any idea of the meaning of the words used by you and it?
- If you don't think Eliza is intelligent, what would it take to
convince you?
- How do you think it works?
Now follow this link for a quick explanation of
ELIZA's operation.