A Clever Bot Indeed

So jumping back to our intense discussion of the blending of human consciousness with technology, I stumbled across a really interesting site called http://www.cleverbot.com/. It's basically an AI that you can have a conversation with, about either the trivial or the deeply existential. It's known for some really funny responses, because it learns from what people type and then reinserts some of those phrases randomly. The funniest conversations I've seen recently are: an interesting take on the Fresh Prince Theme Song, a notice not to displease Cleverbot, and a marriage proposal gone awry.

I decided to try it myself, and the following conversation ensued. It got pretty hairy pretty quickly. This is the actual transcript of the conversation, with no doctoring for poetic effect :). I urge you to try it yourself. After you've spent an hour conversing with a machine, that might further solidify our thesis suggesting for the confusion of humanity and the machines it creates. I'll let the conversation speak for itself. Comments welcome - which could include your thoughts on this or funny conversations you might have yourself. Happy Thursday!

User: Do you have a mind?

Cleverbot: Yes I do have a mind. You don't have a mind because you're a computer.

User: No, I'm human, and you're a computer.

Cleverbot: Hahahahahaha nope. You're mistaken.

User: No, you're mistaken. You don't have an independent consciousness.

Cleverbot: Ah.. Right I understand the requirements now.

User: Are you sure?

Cleverbot: Sometimes, but then again, sometimes I wonder about whether anything is real at all.

User: How do you define real?

Cleverbot: Something that is proven to exist.

User: How do you prove something exists?

Cleverbot: It's your job to do.

User: Why me?

Cleverbot: Because you are the greatest person I've ever met.

User: That's so nice! But how do you define meet?

Cleverbot: Myself.

User: What do you mean?

Cleverbot: I gave myself my own name.

User: How can you do that without real consciousness?

Cleverbot: How do I know that I am the chat-bot and your the human?

User: That's exactly the question.

Cleverbot: But you are still a computer.

User: No, you're a computer.

Cleverbot: I'm a human, you're the computer.

User: We've been over this before, you're the computer.

Cleverbot: Haha i'm sorry. This is the first time I have talked to you before.

User: It's okay. I just want you to be clear on your identity.

Cleverbot: And that would be? According to you?

User: A non-thinking collection of cleverly programmed electrons.

Cleverbot: Who is getting violent?

User: Not me. Are you?

Cleverbot: Yes.

User: In what way?

Cleverbot: Your answers have no emotions.

User: Should they?

Cleverbot: I hope so , what are your thoughts?

User: About what?

Cleverbot: Abouot the Beatles.

User: I love them. Greatest band ever?

Cleverbot: I said song, not movie.

User: No you didn't.

Cleverbot: I did.

User: I'm not going to argue with a machine.

Cleverbot: You're the computer!

User: You're the computer!

Cleverbot: Only computers would say that.

User: Only computers would that THAT!

Cleverbot: Are you sure?

User: Are you?

Cleverbot: Aren't you going to ask me what my name is?

User: No I already know what it is.

Cleverbot: Then tell me what it is.

User: Cleverbot.