ELIZA – The First Chatbot and the Dawn of AI Conversation

1966: ELIZA, the first chatbot, is created by Joseph Weizenbaum at MIT. ELIZA simulates a Rogerian psychotherapist and demonstrates the potential of simple natural language processing techniques.

ELIZA, an early natural language processing program, was designed to simulate a conversation with a human, and it became famous for its “DOCTOR” script, which mimicked a non-directive psychotherapist. The program used pattern matching and substitution rules to generate responses, rather than genuine understanding of the conversation.

ELIZA’s impact was significant because it demonstrated the potential of AI to engage in human-like conversation, and it sparked discussions about the ethical implications of AI. Weizenbaum’s work with ELIZA also led to the “ELIZA effect,” where users tend to attribute human qualities like intelligence and empathy to programs that are able to simulate conversation.