A Commonplace Book

The following is a recounting of a story about the computer program "ELIZA." The original Eliza program was written by Joseph Weizenbaum and described in the Communications of the ACM in 1966. Eliza is a mock Rogerian psychotherapist. It prompts for user input, and uses a simple transformation algorithm to change user input into a follow-up question. The program is designed to give the appearance of understanding. This account of the story by Daniel Bobrow was described in the December 1968 issue of the SIGART Newsletter.

"One Saturday morning about 9 A.M., a BBN Vice-President in charge of selling our Telcomp commercial service arrived at our PDP-1 computer room hoping to be able to use the computer for a demonstration. He found a note on the PDP-1 teletype that read: 'TYPE ALL MESSAGES INTO THIS TELETYPE, AND END THEM WITH A PERIOD'. This note was left there by one of the programming bums who had just succeeded in making run a Lisp version of the DOCTOR program (based on ELIZA as developed by Weizenbaum). However, the VP thought that this note indicated that this teletype was linked with the one in my [Bobrow's] home, since I often used the computer all night. Therefore, he started typing to 'me', but in fact was typing to this version of the DOCTOR program. The following conversation ensued:

VP: Do you think that I can use the computer this morning?

TELETYPE: Why do you ask?

VP: I might be able to make some additional telcomp sales.

TELETYPE: Why aren't you sure?

VP: My prospective customers have never seen a demonstration of the system.

TELETYPE: Does this mean very much to you?

VP: Of course it does.

TELETYPE: You seem very positive of that.

VP: This is ridiculous.

TELETYPE: What do you mean this is ridiculous?

VP: Is there any reason why I can't use the computer now?

TELETYPE: Tell me more about your prospective customers.

VP: Please dial me up on 491-1850

Note that after that remark the VP did not obey instructions and left out the period. Therefore, of course, the computer didn't answer him. This so infuriated the VP, who thought I was playing games with him, that he called me up, woke me from a deep sleep, and said:

VP: Why are you being so snotty with me?

BOBROW: What do you mean why am I being snotty to you?

The VP angrily read the dialog that 'we' had been having, and couldn't get any response but laughter from me. It took me a while to convince him it really was the computer".