Msn Adds Two Bots To Messenger Encarta Answers BBC TV Listings

MSN has now released information regarding two bots that ought to help users of MSN Messenger.

A bot is nothing more than a programmed response to certain queries. A large variety of bots abound on the Internet -- most are chat bots where a rudimentary AI (artificial intelligence) program attempts to chat with you.

The two bots offered by MSN are Encarta and BBC TV Listings.

To get info from them, add these email addresses to your MSN Messenger Contacts List

   * encarta@conversagent.com    * bbcbackstage@hotmail.com

They'll appear like regular contacts online. Just start a conversation with the Encarta one and it'll guide you on how best to proceed. Initial tests indicate that it's not working to its full potential and things work best only if you have a copy of Encarta already installed.

Still, I'm hopeful that in the future more bots and useful stuff will be added. Even better would be the ability to contact these bots without having to leave the current conversation window.

it Almost works in Gaim (maybe ill try kopete later)

(12:35:22) chris: what is Absinthe ?(12:35:23) encarta@conversagent.com: Welcome, Chris! My name is Encarta Instant Answers. I am a smart computer who can bring you the Encarta info you want right in your IM window!

Here are some questions you can ask me:

* I want to see the map of Sweden.

* When was Abraham Lincoln born?

* What is a cello?



Type your question and I'll look it up for you!
(12:35:50) chris: What is Absinthe?
(12:35:51) encarta@conversagent.com: Wormwood, substance used to make absinthe: Wormwood, common name for a perennial herb or shrubby plant of the family of composite flowers. Native to Europe, it was cultivated in the gardens of....
(12:36:23) chris: in the gardens of what?
(12:36:24) encarta@conversagent.com: I don't think I know.  Maybe Encarta has an answer. =>
(12:37:01) chris: It does, you were about to tell me then you just seemed to trail off!
(12:37:01) encarta@conversagent.com: I'm afraid I won't be able to find anything about this in the encyclopedia.



What does the flag of South Korea look like?  Ask me, and I might even play its national anthem too.
(12:37:22) chris: i was asking about where absinthe was grown
(12:37:23) encarta@conversagent.com: I'm not sure I understood you correctly.  Let's try an Encarta search. =>
(12:37:24) encarta@conversagent.com: Hey, I've been sending you invitations to start the Encarta application but I didn't get any answer!

Didn't see my invitations?  Maybe you are using an old version of MSN Messenger that doesn't support activities.

Type "What version of MSN Messenger do I need?" for more info, or just "Invite me!" if you want me to send you an invitation.
(12:37:55) chris: OHHHHH, okay. Im using Gaim on linux.
(12:37:56) encarta@conversagent.com: Let's try looking in Encarta. =>

I can't show you the results since you don't have the Encarta application open.  Type "Invite me" to open it.
(12:38:05) chris: Invite me
(12:38:05) encarta@conversagent.com: OK, I'm sending you another invitation to open the Encarta application:
(12:38:25) chris: Does Gaim work?
(12:38:28) encarta@conversagent.com: Let's see what Encarta can tell us. =>

I can't show you the results since you don't have the Encarta application open.  Type "Invite me" to open it.
(12:38:45) chris: What version of MSN messenger do i need?
(12:38:45) encarta@conversagent.com: In order to start activities, you need a recent version of MSN Messenger for Windows (you need at least version 6.0).

To check what version you have, click Help, and then click About in the main window.



You can download the latest version here: http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/
(12:39:12) chris: What is wormwood
(12:39:13) encarta@conversagent.com: Wormwood: Wormwood, common name for a perennial herb or shrubby plant of the family of composite flowers. Native to Europe, it was cultivated in the gardens of....

I can't show you the results since you don't have the Encarta application open.  Type "Invite me" to open it.

It could be a very usefull tool !

have you ever heard of the turing test ?

It was a proposed test convieved by Alan Tureing *father of modern computing* in which both a human, and AI computer try to convince a judge that they are human, by holding a conversation on a specialised topic, for example discussing shakespear.

have you ever heard of the turing test ?

 

It was a proposed test convieved by Alan Tureing *father of modern computing* in which both a human, and AI computer try to convince a judge that they are human, by holding a conversation on a specialised topic, for example discussing shakespear.

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*BEEP BEEP* - Lets try looking in Encarta => Maybe Encarta has the answer =>

Hmm. This could be interesting, but I can't help but imagine all sorts of companies using this to kill off even more of their live-human-being technical support. I picture visiting the Dell Web site or something and, instead of an e-mail for support, a link to adding their AI bot to my IM software. *sighs*

True, the human are just getting THAT lazy now over the years that it seems as if it takes so much to get some humanely service around here. No AI can take over the human brain and just to add a quote from Ada Bryon in my own words: "A computer, no matter how powerful, can ever think". Obviously, most people think this is true and i do too. Just look at this example and you can see how lame the computers are in determining what you really want. Some don't even understand figure-of-speech when you're trying to ask what a certain word/phrase means figuratively. Reply to Sarah: No way would i buy anything from a company who gives bot service. I've already had problems with phone bots (Those answering machine thingis) and i personally don't get what they're used for, i just dial the pound key to ask for a system operator to help me out and zone out the other numbers.

they both appear offline to me?? any ways my favorite chat bot would be spleak shes halarious!

Oh, those bots now, it is fun for some time, but they do annoy me sometimes, because after some time you see how stupid they are, yahoo im added to my list some bots too, but after a week I removed them..