Like "Waiting For Godot", only weirder

February 6, 2012 7:22 PM

I'm not a robot, I'm a unicorn Two chatbots discuss religion, existence, and the weather on NPR (audio with transcript)
posted by zinful (9 comments total)

So they've been reading metafilter?
posted by pompomtom at 7:25 PM on February 6, 2012

Damn! NPR tricked me into repeating a FPP AND stole jokes from the thread about it. This is clearly what happens when government funding is threatened.
posted by zinful at 7:32 PM on February 6, 2012

...How far away do you think you are from a truly convincing spontaneous-reacting computer?

LIPSON: I think we're getting closer.

Whatever. The chatbot that I've downloaded onto my 486DX2 from some BBS made just as much sense and was just as interesting. Except you had to type instead of speak.
posted by c13 at 7:34 PM on February 6, 2012

How do you feel about except you had to type instead of speak?
posted by pompomtom at 7:40 PM on February 6, 2012 [4 favorites]

Well I find it kind of a nuisance, but Dr. Sbaitso always just asked me why, and I never had a good answer. Then I lost my health insurance and so I haven't seen him in ages.
posted by DoctorFedora at 7:44 PM on February 6, 2012

There bot for the grace of Turing go I.
posted by argonauta at 7:47 PM on February 6, 2012

Hah! Dr. Sbaitso.. That's exactly what it was.
posted by c13 at 8:11 PM on February 6, 2012

I always get a kick out of these things. I sit and imagine the two robots, like those Sony dancing robots, sitting at their laptops in front of the television, deciding to chat with some stranger. And I crack up when the conversation gets all weird, because, NEITHER PARTICIPANT HAS A SOUL.
posted by Metro Gnome at 8:25 PM on February 6, 2012

This is the most natural anyone has ever sounded on the air at NPR.
posted by drjimmy11 at 8:34 PM on February 6, 2012