Chapter 1
The earliest digital listeners
Chapter 2
The psychology of artificial bonding
Chapter 3
Global designs for connection
Chapter 4
The great loneliness debate
Ch 1 · The earliest digital listeners
futura Users poured their hearts out to ELIZA's mirroring script, deeply shocking the creator who knew the program had zero actual understanding.
Quiz
In what programming language was Joseph Weizenbaum's original 1966 ELIZA program written?
futura Virtual keychain pets pioneered the emotional bonds we now share with AI companions.
Fun Fact
Tamagotchi sitters: In the late 1990s, some schools actually hired Tamagotchi sitters to keep kids' virtual pets alive during classes.
Quiz
In 2009, which country's regulators officially classified the PARO robot as a Class II medical device?
Glossary
chatbot (noun)
A computer program designed to simulate conversation with human users, especially over the internet. In 1966, MIT's Joseph Weizenbaum created ELIZA, the world's first such program, to simulate a psychotherapist.
A computer program designed to simulate conversation with human users, especially over the internet. In 1966, MIT's Joseph Weizenbaum created ELIZA, the world's first such program, to simulate a psychotherapist.
futura Datsun Maxima Voice System
That voice in your dashboard was a tiny vinyl record spinning under the wheel!
Quiz
In which decade did consumer GPS units with turn-by-turn voice guidance first become widely available?
Quiz
What psychological term describes our tendency to attribute human traits to non-human objects, like naming a GPS?