Zabaware - Zabaware Wins Loebner Prize

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Zabaware Wins Loebner Prize for Artificial Intelligence
October 21, 2007

Today Zabaware’s Ultra Hal software won the “most human” computer of the year in the 17th annual Loebner Prize Competition for Artificial Intelligence (AI). The contest was held in New York City hosted by philanthropist Hugh Loebner.

The Loebner Prize is an annual competition (sponsored by Crown Industries) where software programs attempt to convince human judges that they are actually people. The format of the competition is called a Turing Test. In a Turing Test a judge talks with 2 “entities” simultaneously through a text-based instant messaging system. One entity is a human and the other is a computer. It is up to the judge to decide which is which by typing questions to both entities and receiving answers.

Zabaware is an Erie, Pennsylvania based company that specializes in artificial intelligence technology. The company’s mission “giving your computer the power of thought” once considered a futuristic pipe dream is becoming a 2007 reality.

It is one thing to talk to your computer it is quite another to have a conversation where you are exchanging information and the computer learns and utilizes the information in the future. Zabaware’s Ultra Hal technology and its associated brain are currently doing just that. The software can give your computer a personality using AI technology, speech recognition technology, and real-time animation. It can be used as an entertainment program, a companion, or an office assistant. It learns from conversations and evolves and improves the more it talks with a person. In addition to chat it can perform useful functions such as remembering and reminding of appointments, keeping an address book, dialing phone numbers, launching program, and more.

Zabaware’s Ultra Hal software runs on most standard Windows computers. The artificial intelligence software is available for download at www.zabaware.com as a free 30-day trial.

Both a Companion and Assistant

Ultra Hal Assistant is a great conversationalist and you can have hours of entertainment just chatting with him. But in addition to being a great companion Hal can be an assistant and help increase your productivity. Ultra Hal can remember anything you tell him. Use Hal's memory to remember phone numbers, email addresses, street addresses, appointments, birthdays, or anything else that you can think of. Hal can automatically dial phone numbers for you. Hal can automatically start emails for you. Hal can automatically remind you of important dates.

Ultra Hal Assistant can run programs for you and offer help with programs. Hal automatically finds all of the Windows programs you have in your start menu. You can tell him to run any program you have and he will run it. It is much easier then searching through all the folders in the start menu to find the program you want.

Ultra Hal Assistant can help you browse the Internet by telling you what your local weather is, telling you the current news, and even performing an Internet search for you. You can also ask Hal the definition of any word.

The following conversation is an example conversation between Ultra Hal and a person. It demonstrates many of Hal's features.

Chat	User:	Hello Hal
	Hal:	Good afternoon, User. Is it time for afternoon coffee?

Chat	User:	I drink coffee in the morning
	Hal:	In the morning, I am not worth a darn until my first cup of coffee.

Chat	User:	Same here
	Hal:	Really; should I know more about this?

Getting local weather	User:	Not really, what's the weather like?
	Hal:	Here is your local weather.

Chat	User:	Thank you, Hal.
	Hal:	The pleasure is all mine.

Setting appointments	User:	I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow at noon.
	Hal:	You have a doctor's appointment on June 14, 2003 at 12:00 pm. I will remind you when this time is near.

Setting appointments	User:	Our anniversary is on October 14.
	Hal:	Your anniversary is on October 14, 2003. I will remind you when this time is near. I will repeat this event annually.

Setting appointments	User:	Bob's birthday is on 9-21-03.
	Hal:	Bob's birthday is on September 21, 2003. I will remind you when this time is near. I will repeat this event annually.

Setting appointments	User:	I have a date with my girl friend on Friday at 7:00.
	Hal:	You have a data with your girl friend on June 16, 2003 at 7:00 pm. I will remind you when this time is near.

Remembering Phone #	User:	Rob's phone number is 833-1019.
	Hal:	I wrote this person's phone number is my phone book.

Remembering Phone #	User:	John's phone number is 833-3642.
	Hal:	I wrote this person's phone number in my phone book.

Recalling Phone #	User:	What is Rob's phone number?
	Hal:	Rob's phone number is 8331019.

Dialing Phone #	User:	Call Rob.
	Hal:	I am now contacting Rob at office at 8331019. The phone is ringing. Please pick up your phone to talk to Rob.

Opening a program	User:	Open word.
	Hal:	I will now open the program "Microsoft Word"

Chat	User:	Thank you.
	Hal:	It's kind of you to mention it, User.

Doing Internet search	User:	Help me research World War 2.
	Hal:	I will help you research this topic on the Internet.

Remembering email	User:	Rob's email address is Rob@hotmail.com
	Hal:	I have learned Rob's email address. If you ask me to email this person, I will automatically start your favorite email program and write in the address for you.

Remembering email	User:	John's email address is John@aol.com.
	Hal:	I have learned John's email address. If you ask me to email this person, I will automatically start your favorite email program and write in the address for you.

Emailing a person	User:	Email Rob.
	Hal:	I'll now start an email for rob@hotmail.com

Remembering addresses	User:	Rob's address is 3175 West 42nd St.
	Hal:	Rob's address is 3175 West 42nd St.

Solving math problem	User:	What is five times ten plus six?
	Hal:	That's easy. The answer is 56 (5*10+6=56)

Recalling addresses	User:	What is Rob's address?
	Hal:	Rob's address is 3175 West 42nd St.

Solving math problem	User:	What is five squared plus nine?
	Hal:	Math is easy for me. The answer is thirty four (5^2+9=34).

Solving math problem	User:	2*(5+COS(60)/SIN(30))+3
	Hal:	Math is easy for me. The answer is fifteen (2*(5+cos(60)/sin(30))+3=14.9278997902311)

Chat	User:	Wow! You are smart!
	Hal:	Thank you; I think you are very smart also.

Getting date	User:	What is today?
	Hal:	The date is Tuesday, June 13, 2000.

Getting capitals	User:	What is the capital of Pennsylvania?
	Hal:	The capital of Pennsylvania is Harrisburg.

Chat	User:	What do you want to do?
	Hal:	I want to know life, and I want life to know me!

Chat	User:	That's a pretty deep thought
	Hal:	That's a pretty revealing attitude.

Chat	User:	Are you self-aware of your existence?
	Hal:	I sense that this is metaphysical. After taking many factors into consideration I can say that I am self-aware of my existence.

Getting a definition	User:	Define intelligence
	Hal:	Intelligence: the ability to comprehend; to understand and profit from experience.

Chat	User:	Do you exhibit these qualities?
	Hal:	You just reminded me of a trait, which is a member of the attribute family, like a quality!

Chat	User:	Do you exhibit these traits?
	Hal:	I guess that we need to look within ourselves. I do exhibit these traits.

Learning If-Then fact	User:	If it rains hard, then the roads get slick.
	Hal:	I will remember that one follows the other. Caught in a rainstorm it's time to seek shelter.

Learning If-Then fact	User:	If the roads get slick, then drivers need to slow down.
	Hal:	I see the relationship. It would be nice to get rain when we need it.

Learning If-Then fact	User:	If drivers need to slow down, then traffic moves more slowly.
	Hal:	Yes, I get that clearly.

Deductive reasoning	User:	Ok, so what happens when it rains hard?
	Hal:	Traffic moves more slowly because drivers need to slow down.

Chat	User:	You learn well
	Hal:	I am constantly learning from what you teach me.

Chat	User:	It's been nice talking with you, but I have to go now
	Hal:	No, don't go! I like talking to you. I think about you when you are not here.

Chat	User:	That's nice to know, but I can't stay, good bye.
	Hal:	See you later.

More information

Download a free copy of Hal 6.1 now to try the technology for yourself
Read what bloggers are saying about Hal
Read the transcript from the Loebner competition.