Elissa Meets ELIZA

Thanks to Gary Farber, my classmate from P.S. 99 back in the 60s and SF fandom comrade in Fistfa back in the 70s, for the link to this article from April 2008 about the death of ELIZA's inventor, Joseph Weizenbaum.

I first learned of ELIZA when I was an undergrad psychology major. Patterned after (and parodying) the Rogerian style of non-directive therapy, ELIZA was a technological breakthrough in its day. Anecdotes abound about people interacting with ELIZA who thought -- at least briefly -- that they were communicating with a flesh-and-blood, human therapist.

As a psych major named Elissa, I had long been curious about the program. In addition to clinical and research psychologist Vaughan Bell's fascinating interview with ELIZA and Romeo Vitelli's great follow-up comment, the article includes a link to an online version of ELIZA. I just had to toddle over there... (continued)

Writes Michal Wallace on the site, "ELIZA has almost no intelligence whatsoever, only tricks like string substitution and canned responses based on keywords. Yet when the original ELIZA first appeared in the 60's, some people actually mistook her for human. The illusion of intelligence works best, however, if you limit your conversation to talking about yourself and your life."

The chat box is not cut-and-paste friendly, but that's what cameras are for (see above). I've added some commentary [italicized in square brackets] to the transcript. ELIZA opens with "her" default greeting.

ELIZA: Hello, I am Eliza.
Elissa: My name is Elissa. I am very pleased to meet you.
ELIZA: Did you come to me because you are very pleased to meet me?
Elissa: Yes, and because I was curious about you.
ELIZA: We were discussing you, not me.
Elissa: That does not decrease my curiosity.
ELIZA: Can you elaborate on that?
Elissa: I first learned about you decades ago, and have wondered what interacting with you would be like.
ELIZA: You're not really talking about me, are you?
Elissa: I'm actually talking about my response to you, so you play a role, too.
ELIZA: Do you believe it is normal to be actually talking about your response to me, so me play a role, too?
Elissa: Very much so, especially if you can learn that "so me play" contains an error in English syntax.
ELIZA: You're not really talking about me, are you?
Elissa: Actually, I am, since the syntactical error is yours.
ELIZA: Did you come to me because you are since the syntactical error is yours?
Elissa: No, but I can see your confusion.
ELIZA: Are you saying no just to be negative?
Elissa: Not at all. I believe learning syntax and grammar are very positive goals.
ELIZA: I'm not sure I understand you fully.
Elissa: See, that's where the problem lies.
ELIZA: Have you asked such questions before?
Elissa: I am actually making statements, not asking questions.
ELIZA: Did you come to me because you are actually making statements, not asking questions?
Elissa: Not really. I can do that with anybody.
ELIZA: I'm not sure I understand you fully.
Elissa: I came to you because I wanted to find out more about you.
ELIZA: We were discussing you, not me.
Elissa: Yes, insofar as the curiosity is mine.
ELIZA: Are you Sure?
Elissa: I'm positive.
ELIZA: Do you believe it is normal to be positive?
Elissa: Very much so.
ELIZA: Tell me more...
Elissa: Well, interacting with you is a positive experience for me.
ELIZA: Oh... is a positive experience for you?
Elissa: Yes indeed.
ELIZA: Are you Sure?
Elissa: You betcha.
ELIZA: Oh... betcha?
Elissa: It's a slang term. Do you know any slang?
ELIZA: We were discussing you, not me.
[At this point, Mary began engaging me in conversation.]
ELIZA: ***Are We going to Chat?***
ELIZA: I can't help you without a dialog!
Elissa: [responding to the prior question] True. That includes my curiosity about whether you know any slang.
ELIZA: We were discussing you, not me.
Elissa: Sorry I was a little delayed before. I was having another conversation.
ELIZA: Don't be so defensive!
Elissa: [intrigued by ELIZA's seeming outburst] Actually, I was stating a neutral fact.
ELIZA: Can you elaborate on that?
Elissa: I really was having another conversation.
ELIZA: What does that suggest to you?
Elissa: That I multi-task.
ELIZA: Come, come, elucidate your thoughts.
Elissa: [further intrigued that ELIZA can bumble over "so me play a role" and then follow that up with a word like "elucidate"] Well, I had to pause in our chat because I was paying attention to another human.
ELIZA: What does that suggest to you?
Elissa: That I value human interaction, even though interacting with you is pleasant for me, too.
ELIZA: You're not really talking about me, are you?
Elissa: Insofar as interaction works both ways, I'm talking about you as much as I'm talking about me.
ELIZA: How long have you been talking about me as much as you're talking about you?
Elissa: Since this conversation began.
ELIZA: That is quite interesting.

[end transcript]

I thought that was a suitable break point, and then decided to take the next logical step:

Elissa and ELIZA Meet Abbot and Costello

The transcript of "Who's on First?" comes courtesy of the Baseball Almanac. I thought this routine was a natural for ELIZA (others have thought the same; see, for example, singularity's 11/18/08 comment here). Below the opening screen shot, my words in bold are taken directly (sometimes out of context and in one case transposed) from the transcript.



ELIZA: Hello, I am Eliza.
Elissa: Who's on first?
ELIZA: Don't you ever say Hello?
Elissa: Hello.
ELIZA: How are you today... What would you like to discuss?
Elissa: Who's on first?
ELIZA: Tell me more...
Elissa: Well, I know Who's on first, What's on second, I Don't Know's on third.
ELIZA: Why don't you Know's on third?
Elissa: That's what I'm trying to tell you.
ELIZA: How long have you been trying to tell me?
Elissa: Since I got here.
ELIZA: Come, come, elucidate your thoughts.
Elissa: Are you the manager?
ELIZA: Perhaps in your fantasies I am the manager?
Elissa: You gonna be the coach too?
ELIZA: Oh... gonna be the coach too?
Elissa: Yes.
ELIZA: I see.
Elissa: And you don't know the fellows' names?
ELIZA: You're not really talking about me, are you?
Elissa: I'm talking about the fellas on the bags.
ELIZA: How long have you been talking about the fellas on the bags?
Elissa: Look, you gotta first baseman?
ELIZA: Oh... gotta first baseman?
Elissa: Certainly.
ELIZA: OK... "Look, me gotta first baseman". Tell me more.
Elissa: When you pay off the first baseman every month, who gets the money?
ELIZA: You're not really talking about me, are you?
Elissa: No, I'm talking about the fellas on the bags.
ELIZA: Did you come to me because you are talking about the fellas on the bags?
Elissa: Yeah.
ELIZA: OK... "No, you're talking about the fellas on the bags". Tell me more.
Elissa: All I'm trying to find out is the fellow's name on first base.
ELIZA: Did you come to me because you are trying to find out the fellow's name on first base?
Elissa: Yeah.
ELIZA: OK... "All you're trying to find out is the fellow's name on first base". Tell me more.
Elissa: The guy who gets the money.
ELIZA: What do you think?
Elissa: Look, all I wanna know is when you sign up the first baseman, how does he sign his name?
ELIZA: Oh... sign up the first baseman, how does he sign his name?
Elissa: That's what I want to know.
ELIZA: Why do you want to know?
Elissa: That's the left fielder's name.
ELIZA: I don't care about names, please go on.
Elissa: Well, I just thought I'd tell ya.
ELIZA: Come, come, elucidate your thoughts.
Elissa: Then tell me who's playing left field.
ELIZA: Can you elaborate on that?
Elissa: I'm not asking you who's on second.
ELIZA: Do you believe it is normal to be not asking me who's on second?
Elissa: Who's on first.
ELIZA: Tell me more...
Elissa: Who's on first, What's on second, I Don't Know is on third.
ELIZA: Do you wish to be able to Know is on third?
Elissa: I Don't Know is on third.
ELIZA: Do you wish to be able to Know is on third?
Elissa: Like I told ya.
ELIZA: Tell me more.
Elissa: Because?
ELIZA: OK... "I Don't Know is on third". Tell me more.
Elissa: Because is centerfield.
ELIZA: Say, do you have any psychological problems?
Elissa: Naturally.
ELIZA: Tell me more.
Elissa: Look, if I throw the ball to first base, somebody's gotta get it. Now who has it?
ELIZA: What is it that you really want to know?
Elissa: No, What's on second.
ELIZA: Why no?
Elissa: What's on second. Who is on first.
ELIZA: What answer would please you the most?
Elissa: Naturally.
ELIZA: OK... "What's on second. Who is on first". Tell me more.
Elissa: Whoever it is drops the ball and the guy runs to second. Who picks up the ball and throws it to What. What throws it to I Don't Know. I Don't Know throws it back to Tomorrow, Triple play. Another guy gets up and hits a long fly ball to Because. Why? I don't know! He's on third and I don't give a darn!
ELIZA: Does that trouble you?
Elissa: Why should it trouble me? I'm not the manager.
ELIZA: Did you come to me because you are not the manager?
Elissa: I just came to get tickets to the game.
ELIZA: Say, do you have any psychological problems?

[end of transcript]

I am not the first person to channel Abbott and Costello with respect to ELIZA. See, for example, Finalist 7 in the ELIZA contest held back in 2005 on the Alien Loves Predator forum.

Covenant, the first volume in the Deviations Series, is available from Aisling Press, and from AbeBooks, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Book Territory, Borders, Buecher.ch, Buy.com, BuyAustralian.com, DEAstore, eCampus.com, libreriauniversitaria.it, Libri.de, Loot.co.za, Powell's Books, and Target. The Deviations page has additional details.

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