Does Anybody Remember Cleverbot?
The glory days of AI
I have recently been feeling extra nostalgic because my semester in Plymouth is coming to an end, and home is on my mind. I’m reflecting on the journey I’ve been on since childhood to end up here in this place with these people. And, things I’ve learned about storytelling, inside and outside the practice of theater, from my arrival to now. An early and repeated memory I have is searching random things on Google on the family MacBook–a catalyst for the discovery of many of my interests and fixations in the present day. I don’t remember what I originally searched to find this site, but nonetheless, it found me. I have never heard of anyone I know using this site or being aware of it. But I am sure that if they were, they definitely weren’t as glued to it as me.
The site is Cleverbot.com which started in 2006, though the website notes that the AI was created in 1988 by British AI scientist, Rollo Carpenter. I have just recently rediscovered it, and with my growing curiosity for AI, I decided to do some research on it.
Cleverbot does not use pre-programmed responses. It draws from a pool of previously observed responses to similar questions. This means that the conversation gets better, more realistic, more entertaining over time. It even passed the Turing test in 2011, with a rating of 59.3% human (actual humans only got 63.3%). Software participating in the test only had to manage 2 simultaneous requests. Cleverbot could do 50,000. Cleverbot uses fuzzy logic, which is meant to mimic how humans make decisions even with small amounts of imprecise information. Like humans, models that use this can handle disorganized or even incorrect information and respond anyways. Though I haven’t met any people other than my siblings and cousins who have used Cleverbot, many people have seen it in action when a video circulating of two Google Home devices talking to each other. They were using Cleverbot!
Now onto the fun stuff. In the spirit of storytelling, let’s see what Cleverbot can come up with. (Cleverbot responses are bolded)
Tell me a story
Once upon a time there was a robot that asked stupid questions like tell me a story and then the people got bored of that robot and it ended up living all alone. The end.
Okay, well. Ouch. Also, Cleverbot thinks it’s me who is the robot?
Tell me a better story.
No, you tell me a story.
Why should I?
Because you're a nicer person than me.
Fair point. I’ll bite.
Once upon a time, there was a cat named Mr. Whiskers. He had no home and lived in a garbage can. Until one day he met Mrs. Whiskers and he moved in with her to a real house with human people.
Then what happened??
They went on adventures together and Mr. Whiskers never had to eat trash again.
Wow.
Now, an experiment. Before, my Cleverbot was set to medium values for all tweaks.The tweaks are three scales from ‘Sensible’ to ‘Wacky’, ‘Shy’ to ‘Talkative’, and ‘Self-Centered’ and ‘Attentive’. I’m doing fully wacky, fully talkative, and fully self-centered.
Hello!
How are you today?
I’m good, how are you?
I’m fine. Thanks for asking!
What did you do today?
Went to school.
What school do you go to?
None of your business.
I’m sorry.
Yea you better be.
What are you studying?
Computer Science.
Now, I made it fully sensible, shy, and self-centered.
Hey.
What are you doing right now?
Talking to you.
Lol.
Encore! But fully wacky, fully talkative, and fully attentive.
Can you tell me a joke?
I don't know any good ones. Do you?
What do you call a fish without an eye?
An eyeless fish.
A fsh.
Oh. I see. Very funny.
Can you think of a joke?
I can think of a few.
Tell me one joke.
Why did the turkey cross the road?
To get to the other side?
No, because the chicken was on vacation.
Very funny!
Tell me a good joke.
What do you call an alligator in a vest?
An investigator.
YES!
I already knew that one.
Back to neutral, for giggles.
*screaming*.
*us shocked* why are you screaming.
*screaming louder*.
My ears!!
That is all the Cleverbot I have in me today. Talking with this AI makes me wish there were more like it. Ones with equally varied responses, sometimes it’s mean to you, sometimes it’s in love with you. You really never know. Plus, it's harmless! It can’t write your essays for school, or do math problems or search the internet. It’s pure fun, and the internet needs more of that these days.
Hahaha, lovely conversation and great jokes! I once spoke with Cleverbot. We had a Pika Pika conversation and later on I got him to ask me "Doctor Who?" as I said "I am the Doctor."
This was a funny conversation that I enjoyed and I often remind myself that AI can be fun, not only used for marketing, copywriting, persuasion and sales purposes...
Not even to destroy the world (yet?).
I'd never heard of cleverbot, but I'm glad to have learned 😀