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Name:
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Mark Connell
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Age:
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38
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Sex:
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Male
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State:
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Atlanta, Georgia
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Country:
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USA
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E-mail:
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mark@shadowboxer.com
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Chatterbots
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MarkBot
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What gave you the idea of developing a bot?
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I've always been interested in artificial intelligence. The idea that you
can create a software program that emulates a human is addictive. I created
a simple bot a few years ago and then thought about how to build a better
one over time. The MarkBot is my latest effort, but won't be my last.
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Is creating bots a passion for you? A hobby?
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Right now it is a hobby and an interest. It certainly takes up a lot of my
bandwidth for something that isn't my primary business.
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When did you start creating bots? Why?
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I started in 1998. I just wanted to see if I could do it.
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What language is your bot programmed in?
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A mixture of Visual Basic, stored procedures, and some JAVA.
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How much time do you spend working on your bot per week/month/year?
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It varies a great deal depending on how much time I have available. I have
had some pretty heavy duty work projects lately but I still try to put in
hours each day.
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In your opinion, what are the best qualities of your bot?
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The MarkBot emulates me.. many other bots just pretend to be bots. I think
it is much harder to pretend to be a real human. Answers such as "I haven't
been programmed for that yet" don't work when you are trying to give the
impression that you are human. It also has many different ways to find an
answer.. not just the end result of one keyword search. It is hard to tell
the difference in a short chat, but over time you can tell that it doesn't
repeat itself very often.
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What is your ultimate goal for your bot?
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It has a long way to go, but the MarkBot is structured to pass the Turing
Test. It has fooled some people in some instances, but there is still much
work to do. The Turing Test is the holy grail for bot builders.
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How do you see chatterbots being used in the future?
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Ah.. I can't tell you that yet! The only hint I can give is to supplement
human knowledge.
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Can chatterbots replace humans?
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Never. Not even close. At best, they will make knowledge more attainable
and accessible for humans. Some jobs may be better suited for bots, but
that has been happening in manufacturing for a long time. The same will
eventually be true with information bots.
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What is your favorite bot memory?
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The first time the MarkBot had someone really believing it was me. You
can't beat that feeling.
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What was your worst bot moment?
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Each and every time it loses its way.
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