Assignment I – A Modified Turing Test

Part A We will perform a modified Turing test. You will speak to two chat bots and a two classmates. You will email me a transcript of your conversations. In order to make everyone as anonymous as possible, one person/computer will be labeled person A and the other person B. IF YOU DO NOT DO THIS AND I HAVE TO EDIT YOUR TEXT……….

a) Talk to robots from the any online web site. Google Chatbots and see what comes up!! Email me the transcript of your two conversation. Make sure you edit out any information that might give things away. For example if you ask the bot where they live and it answers "Liverpool England", you can change that to Eltingville. I don't think any of your classmates lives in England and commutes to CSI. Conversations should be no more than 20 lines. Label your conversation with the bot you were speaking to.

b) Talk to TWO classmates whom you don't know using any instant messaging program. Label yourselves as Person A or Person B. Email me a transcript of this conversation as well. PUT BOTH NAMES on the email so I can give proper credit. I only need one email per conversation. Edit any identifying" things" out of your conversation, such as "I have Professor Imberman this semester." Keep the transcript of your conversation to about 20 lines.

c) The class email address for this project, AND ONLY THIS PROJECT, is:

csc480@gmail.com

ALL Conversations are DUE February 12

For fun: Check out the Turing Twinkie Test http://www.twinkiesproject.org/turing.html

More fun: Sample conversation between Prof Imberman and bot. (Who is who??)

Person B: Hi person A
Person A: Hi there om. What are you wearing?

Person B: A T shirt
Person A: You may be wondering if this is a person or a computer responding.

Person B: yes I am
Person A: It goes without saying. Really interesting.

Person B: guess you're a computer
Person A: I can't guess. Tell me.

Person B: okay you are a COMPUTER
Person A: Yeah okay, What if I said I was a person pretending to be a computer?

Person B: I'd say you were lying
Person A: I was?

Person B: yup, you are lying
Person A: When? I really couldn't say for sure. No I'm telling the truth.

Part B

e) The conversations will be placed in Google Docs as a survey. You will classify each conversation as robot, or human. Details to be announced

f) LOEBNER PRIZE

Part C

· Read the NY Times Article, "Scientists Worry Machines may Outsmart Man", http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/26/science/26robot.html and the article by Vernor Vinge, "The Coming Technological Singularity: How to Survive in the Post-Human Era" http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/faculty/vinge/misc/singularity.html

· Discussion Board: Details to be announced