<B>The next big thing: chatbots</B><I>, March 4th, 2006</I><P>George, created by British programmer Rollo Carpenter as part of his Jabberwacky AI software, is constantly learning new language patterns and facts as he chats online at jabberwacky.com/chat-george, where he'll respond not merely to words but also to any of 69 specified emotions, from 'sarcastic' to 'worried'.
<P>Now Carpenter's firm, Icogno, is working with Norwich-based InterMediaLab to turn George into a 'virtual human', using animation and speech synthesis to have ever more credible spoken conversations. "It's going to be possible to do a live interview with someone like George on television," says Tim Child, who runs InterMediaLab. "He's not ready yet for live TV, but it's close."
<P><I>Full article in The Times: </I><A HREF="http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,20409-2068307,00.html" TARGET=_New CLASS=ph>http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,20409-2068307,00.html</A>
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