Resurrected: Meet ‘ELIZA,’ The World’s First Chatbot From 60 Years Ago
In a remarkable feat of technological resurrection, scientists have brought back to life “ELIZA,” the world’s first chatbot developed over 60 years ago. This groundbreaking achievement sheds light on the early days of artificial intelligence and the profound impact it has had on modern technology.
The Discovery
The story begins with a team of “software archaeologists” who unearthed the long-lost computer code for ELIZA from dusty printouts in the MIT archives. Created in the 1960s by MIT professor Joseph Weizenbaum, ELIZA was named after the character Eliza Doolittle from the play “Pygmalion.” Functioning as a language model, ELIZA was programmed to interact with users in a psychotherapist-like manner, responding to their input with probing questions and prompts.
Bringing ELIZA Back to Life
Reanimating ELIZA was no easy task. The team had to clean and debug the code, creating an emulator to run the program as it would have in the 1960s. Despite encountering a bug that they chose not to fix for authenticity’s sake, the researchers successfully got ELIZA up and running for the first time in six decades. This achievement not only showcases the technological prowess of the past but also highlights the historical significance of early AI pioneers like Weizenbaum.
ELIZA’s Legacy
While ELIZA may not rival modern chatbots in terms of functionality, it remains a testament to the ingenuity of its time. According to David Berry, a digital humanities professor, ELIZA’s ability to engage users in conversation and prompt them to continue chatting sets it apart from today’s large-language models. By resurrecting ELIZA, researchers hope to preserve a piece of computing history that is often overlooked in our forward-looking society.
As we marvel at the resurrection of ELIZA, let us not forget the pioneers like Joseph Weizenbaum who laid the foundation for the AI technologies we rely on today. Their legacy serves as a reminder of the importance of preserving our technological history for future generations to appreciate and learn from.