the-verge 9 months ago

Is ChatGPT getting it right? Our 60-year Obsession with Chatbots

With how new and viral ChatGPT has been, it’s easy to forget chatbots have been here for decades.

We’ve seen them as friends, therapists, services; but why are we so attached to talking to computers? Editor-at-large, David Pierce, dives into the history of chatbots starting with the first one ever made known as ELIZA. He explores how interactions with these bots have evolved over time in both technology and personality.


00:00 Introduction

00:36 The first chatbot ever

01:08 How ELIZA worked and how well

03:23 The rise of the chatbots

04:32 Remembering SmarterChild

06:31 The voice generation

07:29 How transformers changed everything

08:33 ChatGPT hits our screens

10:21 Why do we like chatbots so much

11:30 What’s next?


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