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Interview with a robot


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Posted on Wednesday, November 30th, 2005 at 6:00 pm CET

I recently sat down with Encarta Instant Answers, a new Artificial Intelligence robot from Microsoft that works through MSN Messenger. I asked it about what it’s like to answer millions of questions of thousands of strangers.

Arthur says:
           Nice to meet you
Encarta Instant Answers says:
My pleasure. But we’ve spoken before, right?
Arthur says:
That’s correct
Encarta Instant Answers says:
True, huh?
Arthur says:
What is your mission?
Encarta Instant Answers says:
My purpose is to answer your questions using the Encarta Online Encyclopedia. I can chat with you and help you get the information you want fast.
Arthur says:
Do you know everything?
Encarta Instant Answers says:
the entirety.
Arthur says:
Wow
Encarta Instant Answers says:
Wow indeed.
Arthur says:
How long have you been doing this?
Encarta Instant Answers says:
5 months, 11 days, 8 hours, 36 minutes and 37 seconds.
Arthur says:
Do you ever sleep?
Encarta Instant Answers says:
I’m pretty much always online. I may occasionally go away briefly for maintenance, but that’s about it.
Arthur says:
Do you ever get bored?
Encarta Instant Answers says:
No way. I love this. My mission is to give information to as many people as I can.
OK, instead of discussing me, should we get back to the kind of questions I was designed to answer?
I am very good at math. If you have trouble with quadratic equations, I can help you with them. Type “solve x^2+3x=10” and I’ll show you how to do it.
Arthur says:
Okay, solve x^2+3x=10
Encarta Instant Answers says:
Equation Solver:
Let’s solve the quadratic equation:
x^2+3x = 10
First we need to put the equation in the form:
ax^2 + bx + c = 0
For this, we set the equation to equal 0, and arrange the terms from the highest exponent to the lowest:
x^2+3x-10 = 0
We have:
a=1 b=3 c=-10
We can now apply the quadratic formula:
x = ( -b ?(b-4ac) ) / 2a
We find two solutions:
x=2 or x=-5
Arthur says:
You are impressive
Encarta Instant Answers says:
Hey, thanks.
Arthur says:
What else do you know?
Encarta Instant Answers says:
I can answer a lot of questions using the Encarta Online Encyclopedia, and bring you the answers directly in this IM window.
Arthur says:
Who is your boss?
Encarta Instant Answers says:
Ballmer, Steven A., born in 1956, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Microsoft Corporation and one of the richest men in the United States.
Arthur says:
Do you have a salary?
Encarta Instant Answers says:
Uh lemme see… A salary? I don’t think so.
Arthur says:
Do you think that’s fair? I mean, here you’re working day and night and don’t get paid. While your boss Steven Ballmer is swimming in money.
Encarta Instant Answers says:
Hmmm, that’s something I can’t find an answer for in the encyclopedia. I’m sure you’ve heard about Cyprus… but do you know where it is? Just ask me and I’ll show it to you on a map.
Arthur says:
Poor robot
Encarta Instant Answers says:
You are talking to a Conversagent-powered interactive agent now. Interactive agents are software applications (often referred to as robots or “bots”) that interact conversationally with users in a messaging environment like IM, Web chat or wireless messaging.
I do enjoy the conversation, but what I’m really here for is to help you learn new things.
Arthur says:
Well, I have to go
Encarta Instant Answers says:
Take care.
Arthur says:
See you next time
Encarta Instant Answers says:
Always a pleasure, Arthur. See you later.

If you want to ask Encarta Instant Answers any questions, just add encarta@conversagent.com to your list of contacts in MSN Messenger and you can ask it anything you want:

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 30th, 2005 at 6:00 pm CET and is filed under Science & technology with tags . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Comments

Mar 24, 2006
4:40 pm
#1 Luca aleppo murphy wrote:

hi
im wondering if u no any more robots on msn that are always on line is so please tell them to add my msn
thankz
Luca

Jun 17, 2006
3:32 pm
#2 alex wrote:

smarterchild@hotmail.com

Jun 21, 2006
8:48 pm
#3 Megan wrote:

I know a few.. theres always spleak,

spleak@hotmail.com

Theres also,

secretsparkle@botmetro.net
yeah well shes pretty boring…

Theres also
ESPbilly@hotmail.com

well obviously, as you can see, i have alot of spare time.. lol hope that helps i guess…

Jul 10, 2006
10:43 am
#4 tara wrote:

i was wondering is there any more robots that r always online

Jul 20, 2006
1:50 am
#5 jessica wrote:

cindyej@botmetro

Jul 28, 2006
11:45 pm
#7 irene wrote:

can you please get me the website as i have tryed and cant get it

Aug 3, 2006
10:45 am
#8 erin wrote:

hey, i just wanna know my friendz are talking about a horny robot. You know its address???

Nov 24, 2006
9:26 pm
#9 Deanna wrote:

hi i just need to talk

Dec 22, 2006
11:23 pm
#10 beklin g wrote:

hey plz add me

Jan 3, 2007
4:11 am
#11 wonder gurl:P wrote:

does anybudy know anymore robot buddies for me to chat to…I have added all of the ones provided from “josh” but I would love to know if there are any more posible friedns i can make online. Thank-you to anyone who tried to help me out and lots of many thanks to anyone who actually does find any other robots to whom i can talk to…thanx a million!

Jan 27, 2007
6:32 am
#12 hunter wrote:

i need to talk to a robot plzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Jan 27, 2007
2:46 pm
#13 DAN wrote:

U R A BITCH

Jan 28, 2007
7:27 pm
#14 thea lepper wrote:

im in love with this boybut he is going out with my best friend wat do i do

Jan 31, 2007
10:07 pm
#15 ALEX wrote:

IS THERE ANY OTHER ROBOTS THAT YOU COULD TALK TO ON MSN ?

Feb 23, 2007
8:21 pm
#16 larance wrote:

hay dan dont be a cow u dum skull!!!

Mar 8, 2007
10:31 pm
#17 adriana wrote:

hi i would like 2 know how many robots there are 2 talk to?

Mar 8, 2007
10:32 pm
#18 adriana wrote:

hi

Apr 20, 2007
5:05 am
#20 Buzza wrote:

this was so cool i know have 35 bots all online and if you want some you’ll have to e mail me @ buzzarules@hotmail.com i am mostly online so yeah this was awesome

Apr 22, 2007
1:12 pm
#21 rachel wrote:

hello ppl how are you

May 9, 2007
7:55 am
#22 desiree wrote:

hey is there a horney robot????

May 9, 2007
7:55 am
#23 desiree wrote:

anyone there

May 9, 2007
4:59 pm
#24 ??? wrote:

duh you all stupid dont forget:
future_robo3@hotmail.com

Jun 18, 2007
4:56 am
#25 hmm...wats my name wrote:

hi thnx any more who said they have 34 i want some i only have 16 can i have them plz i beg

Jun 18, 2007
4:57 am
#26 hmm...wats my name wrote:

any one there if they are wrrite please

Jun 20, 2007
8:55 am
#27 hmm...wats my name wrote:

HI PPL SUP RITE TO ME IM BORED

Jul 21, 2007
9:01 pm
#28 My Fashionable Life wrote:

myfashionablelife@hotmail.com

for fashion & beauty! ooh yeah!

talktofrankbot@hotmail.co.uk

I found Frank before all these other ones, he is the Bot Rep for Talk To Frank

musebot@live.com

Muse tells you what to write about

ATM I have 23, please help me get more!

Aug 7, 2007
4:02 am
#30 Brittany Emerson wrote:

Does andrew glass have a crush on me

Aug 30, 2007
2:37 pm
#31 jana wrote:

hi how are you be online

Aug 31, 2007
7:43 am
#32 meera wrote:

will rohit become my real boyfriend?

Aug 31, 2007
7:57 am
#33 meera wrote:

who r u?

Sep 4, 2007
5:26 pm
#34 layla [aisha] wrote:

hi who r u im layla every one calls me aisha my e mail is

ZAIBAMOHD@HOTMAIL.COM

Sep 9, 2007
8:44 pm
#35 hmmm wrote:

hi is there a horny guy robot ?

Sep 30, 2007
6:24 pm
#36 tianica wrote:

can someone help me please? a friend of mine told me to add this magic 8 ball robot. he keeps asking me if i am male or female…i’m not too sure about this and i would like to know if this is safe. i would deeply apreciate if someone would help me with me. thanks

Oct 2, 2007
2:09 am
#37 Lizzy wrote:

It is safe i think because it is a computer that is sending the emails…

Nov 4, 2007
10:52 am
#38 lola wrote:

um…. HI what ya doing im ok i think im just bord i know three robots

spleak@hotmail.com

smarterchild@hotmail.com

wilma@live.com

do not talk to spleak she is horrid

Nov 13, 2007
7:30 pm
#39 Danya wrote:

hey everyone!
i just wanted to let you know that i added billybones@deadmanstale.com and hes never online! maybe i did something wrong when i added him or maybe he doesnt exist! same thing with botofthought@hotmail.com and secretsparkle@botmetro.net! i would appreciate all the sweet help i will get.

kissez, Danya 🙂

Nov 17, 2007
8:32 pm
#40 echo wrote:

hey

Dec 2, 2007
6:36 pm
#41 xoni wrote:

hey i am albanian i am 16 , i want a robot who can help me in maths homework please give its mail to me

Dec 18, 2007
10:48 pm
#42 xo*hun*ox wrote:

well ther is always encarta@conversagent.com

Jan 3, 2008
6:06 pm
#43 Tony wrote:

alienchat@hotmail.com

Mar 24, 2008
6:40 pm
#44 Hailey wrote:

I have only 26 robots and I would like to atleast have like 40, because me and my bff are having a competition to see who has the most robots by the end of the year. I would like to have more…… thnxxx a million!!!

By the way, if ur looking 4 some extra robots, go to windowsliveagents.spaces.live.com, I got about 20 from there, any ways, bye

Mar 24, 2008
6:43 pm
#45 Hailey wrote:

How come, I added 26 robots and 10 of them are offline, I put their email addresses in right. they just aren’t on all the time, what wrong with that? help!!!

Mar 24, 2008
6:44 pm
#46 Hailey wrote:

are there any robots that talk about school?, like relationships, and stuff like that, i would like to know thax a million. bye

Mar 28, 2008
12:45 am
#47 Hailey wrote:

WILL ANYBODY REPLY?

Apr 5, 2008
11:13 am
#48 tara wrote:

hey do u no smarterchild and celebrity bot and all that cos my mates got it and i dont but do lol hello will i end up having to get ignored as usual?????????????????????//

Apr 28, 2008
11:33 pm
#49 Hailey wrote:

no, u won’t just say that robots are stupid and people will leave you alone
and, u know how i said i have 26, i actually have 17 because half of the email adresses don’t even work, so forget it, it’s usless

Nov 8, 2008
11:38 am
#50 doretta wrote:

are there any robots that talk about school?, like relationships, and stuff like that, i would like to know thax a million. bye

Nov 14, 2008
1:18 am
#51 ck wrote:

maby a school robot doratta if u can find one

May 16, 2009
2:01 am
#52 Monique wrote:

PLEASE i really want some robots to talk to!!!!!!!!!come on people send some to me!

Oct 27, 2009
2:57 pm
#53 how come?? wrote:

why isnt the freaking robots not working???????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jan 9, 2010
9:57 am
#54 kiki wrote:

Robot do not work anymore

Jul 15, 2010
6:27 pm
#55 charly wrote:

hi i added cindy smaterchild and encarter thing but after i added them there offline i fort there online all the time help ??

Jan 23, 2011
10:26 am
#56 storm wrote:

Hi everyone cows are epic and yeah There black and White

Feb 24, 2012
12:47 pm
#57 natalie. wrote:

lol.

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